Parma High
by Mrs. Brownloe
Summary: A fresh start for new teacher, Bella, who arrives in sunny Parma to teach English in the local high school. So used to going with the flow, she was curiously dissatisfied with her life. Will she continue to settle for Comfortable or will she find Amazing.
1. Chapter 1 A Freshening Breeze

Chapter 1: A Freshening Breeze

Disclaimer: By writing this fan fiction based very generally upon the work of Stephenie Meyer, I am not claiming ownership of Twilight or its characters. I am simply borrowing some of their characteristics.

Chapter One: A Freshening Breeze

'Give me freshening breeze, my boys, A white and swelling sail, A ship that cuts the dashing waves, And weathers every gale. What life is like a freshening breeze, So free, so bold, so brave?

* * *

Seattle, Washington, June 30th. High: 60 F Low: 50 F Barometric Pressure 30.2 inHg*, Cloudy

"SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!  
SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER!  
SCHOOL'S BEEN BLOWN TO PIECES!  
NO MORE PENCILS,  
NO MORE BOOKS,  
NO MORE TEACHER'S DIRTY LOOKS…"

Alice Cooper was blasting out of the quad speakers my ex-boyfriend had installed in my truck and I was singing my heart out as I drove down the road. I, Isabella Marie Swan, felt both liberated and guilty. I felt liberated because I was finally leaving gloomy, cold and rainy state of Washington and was headed to the sunshiny, warm, and tropical state of Florida. I felt guilty because I wasn't a student anymore. Actually, I was supposedly the person that was going to be giving those dirty looks since my brand new diploma said so. But hell, teachers could celebrate the summer too, couldn't they?

And boy did I feel like celebrating. I had moved from Arizona to Washington the beginning of my junior year of high school. Mom had just remarried and, though I liked Phil Dwyer, my new step-father, being around honeymooners - especially if one of them gave birth to you - well, that's just ick. So I asked my father Charlie, who was also the police chief of the tiny town of Forks, if I could move in with him for the last two years of high school and of course he was delighted.

I loved my Dad but I was perpetually cold and depressed living in Forks under a continuous rain cloud most of the time, so when I applied for college I tried just about every school that was located in an area whose temperature rarely went below seventy degrees. Dad, because Dad was sensible, suggested that I also apply in-state as a backup plan. You know - just in case.

Well, guess what? Through local scholarships, I got the equivalent of a full ride if I stayed in state-in Washington. The schools that accepted me in the sunny south were pleased to have me if I was willing to pay full out-of-state tuition and that was the deciding factor. I couldn't afford to go to a warmer, sunnier school so it was four more years of purgatory, commonly known as the State of Washington to me.

If you ignore the weather, Seattle is a nice city and I actually enjoyed living there. I got a good education – summa cum laude in English Literature with a minor in Secondary English Education thank you very much – and the four years went by quickly. But you better believe when it came time for me to apply for a teaching job I looked in warmer climes.

The only problem was as I was nearing graduation it was next to impossible to find a job especially as an English teacher with no experience other than the practicum and student teaching experiences required of all education students. Seems like the boards of education country wide were reducing, cutting back, and simply not hiring.

Dad invited me to live with him again.

That scared the crap out of me. No way was I going back to frigid Forks - just no.

Then, the kind citizens of the Sunshine State itself did a wondrous thing. They voted in a mother f'ing amendment to their state constitution saying that no classroom in any public school in Florida could have more than a certain number of students. At the high school grades they were capping it at twenty-five. That meant those lovely Floridians were forcing the hands of their sixty-seven county school boards to hire more teachers. Many more.

In one afternoon, I applied for a teaching job in every county in Florida that had an on-line application and two weeks later I had three job offers. I picked the one that was furthest south: Parma High School in Bishop County, mean temperature seventy-five blessed degrees and only a handful of completely cloudy days in a year.

The second thing I did was to break up with my boyfriend. Mike was a decent guy and all but he wasn't interested in leaving his home state of Washington. Besides, he'd become more of a habit lately than someone I consciously chose.

We had been dating for about two years and the fire was gone. I was beginning to wonder if it ever had been there at all. When I accepted the Parma job I was surprised that he was actually upset about it. Seems he had expected to settle down with me. It took me a week to dissuade him from that idea.

Dad bought me a used Ford F-150 but it was in really good shape and only two years old. He said it was my graduation present and I was grateful. I knew that my old beater wouldn't have made it across the state line, never-the-less the whole nation. And when you thought about it Florida was about as far away as you could get from Washington without leaving the United States.

I had some money saved up and so I decided that I would drive across the country as soon as I could get myself organized. Mike was making it difficult to be in Seattle and it was the rainy season there any way.

Did I mention that it was always the rainy season in Seattle?

So anyway, two weeks after graduation I had packed up and was ready to hit the road.

One thing I'll say about a long drive, besides scarfing up tons of little bottles of shampoo and conditioner they give out at motels, is it gives a girl the chance to think. The majority of my thoughts focused on what in the world was wrong with me? Mike was a decent guy. He was good to me. He was easy to be around but he was also easy to not be around at least for me. I never missed him when we were away from each other although I was always glad to see him when we got together again.

All my friends thought he was great, even Charlie. The only person who didn't agree was my mother, Renée. She told me he was a drag. But then that wasn't surprising. If my mother had been born a couple of decades earlier she'd have been a hippie. Mike was too stodgy and conventional for her. It made me wonder how she ever got hooked up with Charlie because those two words sort of defined him. I suppose it did explain why she left him after I was born, though.

I couldn't help but think I may have made a mistake leaving Seattle after the first panic passed. And panic is exactly what I felt when Mike disclosed that he always planned to marry me. You know that fight or flight reflex? Well, it's real because I couldn't get away fast enough. But now the few thousand miles I had put between us got me to thinking that perhaps I was too hasty. Here I was running away to a place I had never been, to be among people I had never met, doing a job that I had never done. I must be crazy. A few times on my journey, I almost decided to turn around but then I remembered that while I was living in Washington my underwear of choice were long johns even in the summer and honestly, I just couldn't face that again.

* * *

Jacksonville, Florida, July 8th. High 90 F, Low 72, F Barometric Pressure 31 inHg

Originally, I was planning to drive straight to Parma with no side trips but my mother lived in Jacksonville now and though it was a little bit out of my way what was two hours out of a 50 hour trip? So, when I crossed the Florida state line instead of continuing south on I-75 I took a left on the I-10 and an hour later I was pulling into the driveway of my mom's and step- father's bungalow.

I had called her the night before asking if I could come so she was prepared. When I saw the sign out front, I was sorry I had given her a heads up.

"WELCOME HOME BELLY!" was spray painted on an old bed sheet hanging across the front porch.

Geesh, Mom. Now all the neighbors were going to think someone had a reverse lipo-suction or something. Phil and Renée were on the front porch yelling and screaming in happiness – I hoped - to see me. Knowing my mother it could be that she was screaming away the evil spirits that may have followed me from the Pacific Northwest.

Both of them ran out and hugged me at the same time. Unfortunately, I hadn't completely exited from the cab of my truck and we all ended up on the ground. They didn't pay any attention to that; they were still hugging me as we rolled around on the grass. This was normal for Renée. This is also why I didn't visit them too often. I can only deal with so much crazy.

But actually it was good to be with them for the moment. I never realized how much I missed my mother until I saw her again - sort of like I never missed Mike. Really, it was just more proof that there must be something wrong with me.

They ushered me up off the lawn and into their little eclectic bungalow. There was no place to sit in the living room just the floor. When I looked around Renée said, "Oh, just pull up a pillow and sit wherever you want. Furniture is so conformist and constricting."

That could mean they had to hock all their furniture to make rent or today they really believed that The Man was out to get us all by the nefarious use of chairs and sofas. I remember once when I was in middle school, The Man was brainwashing us through the electrical currents in our homes so we didn't have electricity for a few weeks. However, when Mom got her tax refund that year suddenly The Man stopped using the electrical grid to control our minds. I've always thought my mother's politics were completely situational.

"So Bella, why did you decide on Parma? That's old fogey-ville."

"Is it? All I cared about was that it was in the sub-tropics and they wanted me to teach."

"Well, they roll up the streets after nine pm on the Gulf coast."

"That's not a problem for me."

"Oh, I forgot. You like dull," Renée scoffed.

"Now Mom, why do you say that?"

"Look at your boyfriend. Michael Newt or whatever? By the way, why isn't he here with you?"

"It's Newton, Mom. Michael Newton. And about that… he's not my boyfriend anymore. We broke up."

"FINALLY!"

"Mom…" I whined. She always was able to bring out the emo teen in me.

"Bella, he was all wrong for you."

I rolled my eyes.

"Truly, he was. When you were around him your aura wasn't just brown which is bad enough, it was beige." Mom shuddered from the horribleness of my unbecoming aurae.

"But now I think of it I could tell something was up with you, Bella. When you got here today I could see your aura is not beige anymore, it's changing and unsettled." She peered at the area around me as if she was trying to see more clearly.

I was so used to this weirdness I didn't even sigh but I did sort of wonder what her aura was. Tutti-frutti, perhaps?

Phil came into the living room with a bong. "In honor of your homecoming let's have a celebratory toke."

"Thanks but no thanks. I can't be around that stuff, Phil."

"Why not? No one here is going to narc."

"Probably the first thing they'll do when I get to Parma is make me pee in a cup. If pot shows up in my system I'll go on record as the having the shortest employment in Bishop County history."

Surprisingly Mom spoke up, "She has a point, hon. Just go out on the back porch and relax. I'll join you in a while."

"Okay. Remember though, this is good shit. May not last."

"Don't bogart the Columbian, honey," Mom called, "That's just rude." But Phil was already out of the room.

"Mom, seriously where do you get those terms? You sound like a seventies teen flick."

Renée just snorted and ignored my comment.

"So you dumped that dude, Bella. I am so surprised."

I shook my head, "I am not sure I did the right thing. Mike was a decent guy. Maybe he was the one?"

Renée coughed in disbelief, "Maybe? Honey if he was the one there would be no 'maybe' about it. You would know. There would be something about him that just won't let you go. Your spirit will recognize him before your mind will even know he exists." She smiled and gazed off at nothing, a nostalgic look on her face.

I vainly tried to not roll my eyes. Renée was all into the metaphysical side of reality. From my long years of living with her, I could tell you that she simply liked to distort what was real to suit her own preferences. That got her in trouble more than once, let me tell you.

Renée saw my expression and sighed, "You know Bella, I may be a fruit loop about some things but I do know about this. Falling head over heels in love happens. It just hasn't happened to you, yet. I was so afraid that you would settle for 'comfortable' because you didn't believe there was an 'amazing' out there for you."

She leaned forward, grabbed my hand and looked earnestly into my eyes. "Do me a favor honey, don't 'settle.' Hold out for 'amazing.'"

Curiously, that phrase echoed in my head for the rest of the evening and on into my dreams. Hold out for amazing. How I truly wished Renée was correct. But I didn't know. Maybe there was something wrong with me that I couldn't feel that spark. Maybe I was doomed to only to settle. Maybe I was so used to being independent and self-reliant that feeling so intensely connected to another person was beyond my capabilities.

Evidently _The Man_ was forcing his conformist ways on the unsuspecting with mattresses and box springs as well in the Dwyer household. After a night of sleeping on a pallet I decided that my back couldn't take a longer visit. After treating Renée and Phil to breakfast at Denny's, I headed for Parma.

* * *

Parma, Florida, July 9th. High 92 F, Low 75, F Barometric Pressure 30.4 inHg, Clear

Six hours later, I was pulling in to the Bishop County School Board administrative center. I figured they could direct me to some places to live and I wanted to ask if it was okay for me to visit Parma High before I was actually required to be there.

I walked up to the receptionist feeling pretty skuzzy after my drive and explained what I wanted and she had me sign in and pressed a button so I could pass the doors that led to the offices behind her. The first door on the left was the personnel department.

"Hello," I said as I approached the desk, "I am Isabella Swan and was recently hired to teach at Parma High School. I just got into town and was wondering if you could suggest where I could find a place to live?"

"Oh, sure!" she waved her hand across the room. "Look over on that bulletin board. People put notices up there for that sort of thing all the time."

I spent a good ten minutes reading the various notices and found several that looked promising. The HR lady gave me a "welcome to Parma" packet which included a map of the area so I could find my way around.  
I drove over to a nearby McDonalds and sat in the restaurant with a coke, Big Mac and fries and located the various addresses on the map. The first thing I noticed was that Parma High was smack dab in the middle of the town and not too far from the beach. Ideally, living close by the school would be the best but I was sure the prices of those apartments were prohibitive. It wouldn't hurt to look, though.

I spent the good part of the afternoon driving around town in awe of what I found. It was a tropical paradise-simply beautiful- but pretty ritzy. It wasn't likely that I could find a place I could afford near the school as I had hoped but I just couldn't help looking. It was everything that I dreamed about while living in the cold north. The palms trees, the quaint shops, the white beach, the blue water; it was like a travel advertisement come to life. One of the addresses that I had written down was in the older section of town. These houses were one story and relatively small but surrounded by lush vegetation.

In a shady cul-de-sac about four blocks from the high school, I found the address. This house was shaded by a huge live oak tree in the front yard. There were garden gnomes peering out at me from the flower beds and even a pink flamingo or two edging the driveway. This ought to be interesting. I went up to the front door and knocked.

The asthmatic barking of a little dog signaled the approaching owner. I heard a bevy of locks unlocking and then finally the door opened and the cutest little old lady stared up at me from behind bifocals. Her hair was a mass of permed curls and she was wearing a brightly colored muumuu with large hoop ear rings, necklace and bracelets to match. Her bright red lipstick accentuated her happy smile as she said, "You rang?"

I couldn't help but to chuckle, "Hi, I am Bella Swan and I got your address from the school board offices saying that you had an apartment for rent?"

"Oh, yes! I only rent to teachers, though. Are you a teacher?" She peered at me myopically. I must not have looked the part, I guessed.

"Well, I will be a teacher. I was hired recently to teach starting in the fall at Parma High. I am looking for a place to live."

"Oh!" she was delighted. "Come in! Come in! Welcome. Please sit down."

Contrary to my mother's home this place had an over abundance of furniture and, unsure of where I should sit from the many choices I had, I looked at her for direction.

"Sit here and let's talk," she indicated the sofa that was near the front door. She sat across from me in an old wing chair and the minute she sat the elderly Chihuahua jumped into her lap.

"My name is Eleanor Cope. I was the librarian at Parma High for thirty years before I retired. Parma is a great school to work at."

"I am looking forward to it. I came down early so I could get settled in before I needed to get to work."

"That was smart. You'll have a lot of work to do!"

We talked a bit about where I came from and what I studied and why I picked Parma to move to. She asked me about my hobbies and habits and she told me a bit about the school I was going to be teaching in. Evidently, she still knew a lot of people who still worked there.

She went through a list of requirements she had for a renter and I found that I could easily follow her mandates. She didn't want smokers or heavy drinkers or loud music past ten o'clock. She didn't want people coming in and out at all hours and she asked that occasionally her renter take care of Poncho the dog when she would go to Miami to visit her sister.

"Do you have any questions, Bella?"

"Uhm, are you renting a room in the house?"

Eleanor chuckled, "No. That would cramp my style. I have a guest house out back that isn't very big, but I think it is plenty big for a single girl like you. Come on back and I will show it to you."

Under the supervision of old asthmatic Poncho, she led me through her house and across the backyard to a smaller building that sat there. It was ideal for me. It had only three rooms - a great room that included a sitting area and a kitchen and a bedroom with a bath attached. Eleanor went over to an air conditioner that was in a window and turned it on. In a few minutes it had cooled the air quite considerably.

"This unit cools the whole place but you have to leave the interior doors open so the cooled air can circulate throughout."

She was right; it was small but plenty big enough for me. There was a carport where I could park my truck out of the weather, even. She opened a closet in the kitchen and showed me a stacked washer and dryer. Like I said, this place was perfect.

"These floors are terrazzo and keep things cool in the heat as do the ceiling fans. Unfortunately, there is no heater but we rarely need it this far south. If we do get a cold snap I have a space heater you can borrow but usually wearing a sweater is enough to get you through."

Wow. No heat. Imagine living in a place where that wasn't a necessity. I was joyous. "How much do you want for rent, Mrs. Cope?"

"Oh, call me Eleanor. Usually places like this so close to the beach go for at least a $2,000 per month but I am more interested in a good tenant than the money. How much do you think you can afford?"

I know I had lost all the color in my face. Two thousand dollars a month? That was definitely out of my price range.

"Well, I am afraid that I can't afford half that, Eleanor. The most I can do is $800. I am really sorry to have taken your time." I sighed because I could really see myself living here. It was close enough that I could easily ride a bike to school and it was only about two blocks from the beach.

"Hmmm. How about I rent it to you for $800 but ask you to do some work around here to make up the difference."

My heart beat a little faster. "What sort of work?"

"How do you feel about gardening and mowing the grass?"

"I have no problem at all with that, Eleanor. Actually I enjoy it."

"Well, then here's the deal. I am getting too old to keep up with the lawn and flower beds. I expect $800 the first day you move in and then the same on that day every month thereafter. The electric and water is attached to the main house so that's included with the rent. I would like you to spend at least five hours a week doing yard work. That would make the difference between the going rate and what you could afford. That seem fair?"

Five hours a week? If I put an hour a day I could knock that out in five days time. I looked through the windows and could see the yard wasn't that big.

"It seems fair, Eleanor. Thank you." I stuck out my hand and she shook it.

"Deal! When are you moving in?"

"Well, I could move in today. I don't have any furniture but I could take care of that pretty quickly, I think."

"We have some good resale shops here and you have a truck. It shouldn't be a problem to get what you need relatively cheap."

So, I spent the next hour or so moving my stuff out of the truck into the house. I figured I could sleep on an air mattress I brought with me until I could take care of getting a bed. I was so excited. This seemed to be working out very well.

The place really needed a good cleaning so I changed out of my jeans and t-shirt into shorts and a tank top, hopped into the truck and drove down the street to a grocery store. It happened to be just a block away from Parma High School and I couldn't resist stopping there first to check it out.

The school was beautiful. I had never seen a public school that looked so appealing. It was built out of red brick and made up of twelve different buildings like a college campus. There were lushly landscaped common areas with lots of benches and tables scattered around. Not surprisingly, the doors to the buildings were locked so I peered in through a window to check out the classrooms. They were tricked out. I could see a white board covering one wall and there was a LCD projector hanging from the ceiling. There was a teaching station that had a computer and some other equipment. It seemed they didn't stint here in Bishop County.

Seeing as much as I could through the window, I walked over to where the sports fields were. There were cars parked in the lot near it so I figured there may be people there who could answer a few questions about the school for me.

The gate to the football field was open and I walked through and saw some people running around the track. It must be one of the athletic teams doing summer conditioning practice during the break. It felt so good to be out in the sun that I climbed into the stands to sit for a bit and just admire the day. There was a warm breeze stirring the air and I was enjoying feeling the sun beat down on my body as I settled onto one of the benches. I stretched out my legs and leaned back basking in the blessed heat.

I grew up in Arizona and I knew the necessity of wearing sunscreen for someone like me who has a ghostlike complexion so I had slathered it on before I left my house. I long time ago I gave up trying to get some color to my fish belly skin. All I did was burn, peel and then was white again. I hoped I wouldn't stick out too much down here in the sun.

I looked again at the people running around the track as they neared my position and my attention was suddenly focused on one of them. It felt like every molecule in my body suddenly was aligned on him.  
He was beautiful. Honestly, I had never seen a man as drop dead gorgeous as that. He was tall with well muscled arms and legs but they weren't bulging "'roid" muscles, they were lean and sculpted. He had reddish-brown hair that was on the long side but not something my hippy mom would swoon over.

The runners came to a stop in front of me and I actually gasped when Mr. Gorgeous stopped running and pulled off his t-shirt to use it to mop his brow.

My heart was actually fluttering as I grasped my bottom lip with my teeth and I – well, let's be honest- leered at him. I had never seen the likes of someone as god-like as he was. He was talking to a few of the kids that were with him and he laughed, flashing a brilliant smile. The kids went to pick up a few soccer balls that were lying about and put them in a bag. The gorgeous man turned to walk through the fence that bordered the track and as he did he must have noticed me sitting in the stands probably looking completely witless.

"Can I help you?" he asked coming nearer.

Oh. Time for me to talk and not sound like an idiot. In my current frame of mind stunned by this dazzling man that may be a hopeless quest. I stood up and walked over to the railing, "Uhm… perhaps? Do you know if the school office will be open tomorrow?"

He smiled at me and I had to consciously try not to drool. The electricity in the air was palpable.

"There is usually someone there after eight but in the summer they leave around two or so. Whom did you wish to see?"

Oh, he used "whom" correctly. My heart rate was slightly elevated before but now it was pounding away like I had run a marathon. I truly panted after good grammarians. This caused the rest of me to feel sort of numb. I hoped my mouth wouldn't betray me for a fool.

"The principal or his secretary?"

"They both should be there, I think. You could call first to see. Do you have the number for the direct line? They usually don't pick up the main one in the summer."

"No, I don't."

"I'll give it to you. I have it in my car."

He was standing right in front of the stairs and politely waited for me to join him before walking out to the parking lot. Everything had been going well and I had yet to make an idiot of myself but I wasn't finished, yet.

Of course you know what was going to happen. As I descended the stairs, I set my foot wrong and tripped down the last two steps. I was going to wipe out right in front of this Adonis and I could feel the embarrassment even before I hit the ground.

But I never hit the ground. Suddenly, strong, lean arms were about my waist and I was caught safely against a hard chest - an Adonis-like hot, naked, divinely sexy chest. I looked up to begin to babble my apologies when deep green eyes edged by long dark lashes looked down into mine and the world stopped turning. All there existed for me in that moment was being held in strong arms with my gaze interlocked with his and my breath baited.

It seemed like an hour passed in that moment. The sun completely changed its course. All movement froze for that eternity but I knew it was just seconds before I realized where I was; held up like some graceless stumblebum by a perfect man I hadn't even met. I knew I was thinking in hyperboles and mixed metaphors but I was an English major. Sarcasm keeps me centered.

Oh, how mortifying. I shivered and stepped out of his embrace.

"Excuse me. I'm normally not such a klutz," I lied as I blushed ten shades of red.

"It's okay. I was glad I could catch you. That would have been a nasty fall."

"I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. I enjoyed it." He winked at me.

I just blushed more. I knew he was being polite. Here I was, sweaty, dirty and silly, tripping down the stairs so very ungracefully and flinging myself at him. I was such a dolt.

I followed him out the parking lot and he led me to a late model sporty Volvo. Yeah, I know. Volvos aren't sporty but I think it must have been the proximity to this god-like being that gave it that appearance.

He opened his door bent over and leaned inside. I got a heart-stopping look at his perfectly fine ass that was covered only by low slung athletic shorts. I immediately imagined digging my nails into it as he flexed in and… I just barely stopped from moaning. Truly, I had to quit this or he would have me arrested for molestation. If possible I blushed even more.

He was soon able to retrieve the number I needed. He tore off a piece of paper from a notebook he had and wrote it down then handed it to me.

"Here you go," he said with one of those delicious smiles.

At least he was facing me and I no longer had the view of his amazing rear so I could respond semi-coherently, "Thank you and again, I am so sorry for crashing into you."

"Like a meteor," he mused, smirking a bit.

I know I looked confused but I mumbled my thanks again and quickly turned to go back to my truck which I'd parked across campus. As I turned a corner around a building, I looked back to see him still standing there watching me. He probably couldn't imagine a more cloddish idiot.

Sighing, I finally got to my truck and climbed back into the cab. I looked down at the paper he had given me and unfolded it. He had written two things: "PHS Office: 555-2203" and then below it "Edward Cullen – 555-7880."

This time my heart pounded its way into my throat. I had never in my life felt like this. There was a curious electricity zinging through the air now. My body still tingled where he held me and I was shocked to discover I was shaking. It felt entrancing, magnetic, and absolutely amazing.

Out of nowhere I heard my mother's voice telling me, "… Bella, honey, hold out for amazing."

* * *

**AN**  
*** Barometric Pressure is defined as the pressure exerted by a column of mercury of 1 inch in height at 32 °F. It is a method of forecasting storms. The lower the number, the stronger a storm will be. The higher the number, the clearer and fairer the weather.**


	2. Chapter 2 Blue Skies

*Chapter 2: Blue Skies

_Blue Skies_  
_Smiling at me_  
_Nothing but blue skies_  
_Do I see._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, July 9th. High 92 F, Low 75 F, Barometric Pressure 30.4 inHg, Fair_

Eventually, I was able to gather my wits and drive over to Publix* to pick up cleaning supplies and some groceries. As I wandered around the store, I realized I was still reeling from my encounter with Mr. Adonis – or as he wrote, Edward Cullen.

I was still mulling over the note as I thoroughly cleaned my new abode. I blew up my trusty air mattress to make a temporary bed (should have used it last night at Mom's but then I may have stayed longer in Jacksonville and missed meeting the Hottie.) By the time I was ready for sleep, it was midnight and I was completely exhausted. But I had cleaned, unpacked the boxes of kitchenware, towels and linens and even hung up the shower curtain – all relicts of my old apartment in Seattle.

Why did he give me his number? Was he interested in me? Or, was he feeling sorry for me? Maybe he was just a good guy trying to help the obviously imbecilic woman who couldn't even walk down a few stairs without making a fool out of herself.

I crawled into bed, listening to the hum of the air conditioner and thinking about all that had happened that day, especially meeting the amazing Edward Cullen. When I drifted off to sleep it was no wonder that I dreamed of a hard muscled, sun- kissed chest and abs, a nice tight butt, a bright flashing smile and soul-searching deep green eyes. Evidently, my subconscious could think of a lot of ways he could help me – naked. Frankly, I was astonished at my tarty-ness. Never in my life had I become so wound up about anyone, not even Mike. Poor Mike. I wondered if he ever knew how non- tarty I felt about him?

The next few days were spent scouring resale, consignment shops and yard sales looking for furnishings for my new home. I decided to just get the basics and add to it as I could afford it. I was lucky to find a rattan bedroom suite. It was very Florida-ish and the mattress looked brand new. What I really needed was a fold out sleeper couch or a futon for the main room but I couldn't find one that I liked and was in my budget. Either they were ugly as sin or more than I wanted to pay. I did get a smallish table and chair set for a make-shift dining room.

My landlady didn't have an internet connection and so I was negotiating with the cable company to add it to her services. I told Eleanor that I would pay for the extra charge in addition to my rent but I needed the connection for work as well as just about every other aspect of my life. Eleanor was hesitant, thinking that her whole life would be on display if she got the internet. I told her not to worry; only mine would be. That seemed to soothe her and the cable company was going to do its magic in the coming week.

I stopped by the Parma High office and introduced myself to the principal's secretary, Mrs. Banner. She was a jolly, older woman who would have fit right in at the North Pole. All she needed was the red and white outfit. She was delighted to find that I was renting Eleanor Cope's guest house. She showed me around the school a bit, but since they hadn't yet made room assignments she couldn't tell me where I'd be teaching. I was very tempted to ask her if there was an Edward Cullen on the faculty but I didn't have the nerve.

I hadn't called him, anyway. I wasn't sure if I should. I still didn't know if he liked me or pitied me and besides. I guess he could have helped me move some of the furniture I bought but I still didn't call. I was too afraid of turning into a stuttering idiot in his presence. And after analyzing it for a few days, my intense reaction to him must have been from the heat, some sort of sun stroke complicated with exhaustion from my trip. My mother had put the idea of "amazement" into my head and the fact I was letting it affect me so severely just pointed out how silly I was being.

Over the next few weeks, I spent a lot of time working in the yard getting the flower beds cleared of weeds and the lawn mowed. I trimmed a few bushes and I cleaned out Eleanor's garden shed. Living in this part of Florida was like living in a greenhouse. The heat and humidity encouraged plants to flourish. I was spending more than five hours a week in the yard but I enjoyed the work. I figured I may as well get things under control now so that when school started I wouldn't have to devote more than my allotted time to it.

I also enjoyed getting up early and walking the three blocks to the practically deserted beach. I supposed most tourists came here in the winter time and that's why I had the place to myself. The Gulf was as warm as bath water and I loved puttering about on the beach looking for shells, taking the occasional swim or just simply sitting and reading.

I was certainly enjoying myself. The heat didn't bother me a bit and I loved living in the little guest house. Eleanor had an old bike she let me borrow and I hardly ever had to use my truck to get around town. One afternoon about a week before my teaching contract began, I rode my bike by the school. The football field was on a corner of two main roads. As I rode by the field, I noticed the same group of boys I saw the first day running around the track along with the fabulous Edward Cullen.

My eyes gravitated towards him as he ran; he was a thing of beauty and I was shocked to feel the same energy I felt the first time I saw him. What was wrong with me? On the drive to Florida I was wondering why I couldn't feel anything and ever since seeing him, I was wondering why I felt so much. Evidently, I was still under the influence of my mother's power of suggestion.

I know I was slowing down as I was staring at him in a silly stupor when he caught sight of me. His eyes were like lasers, piercing mine with their intensity. A smile spread slowly across his face and he raised his hand. I blushed and ducked my head down and pedaled faster, trying to get by as quickly as I could.

"Wait!" I heard him call out, "Miss Meteor, wait!"

Oh my god. He remembered me for the fool I made out of myself. Could I pretend I didn't hear him and just get out of there as quickly as I could? No. That would be rude and I didn't want to add crass behavior to my list of negative attributes, so I slowed to a stop and waited for him to catch up to me.

The road and its sidewalk were about two feet lower than the field that was surrounded by a low, chain-linked fence. Soon Edward was leaning against it and smiling that gorgeous smile down at me. I looked up and grinned sheepishly.

"You didn't call me." His smile mitigated his accusation.

"Er, no." I know I was blushing. Maybe he'd chalk that up to my exertion from my bike ride.

"You must have thought I was a creeper."

No, actually it was the opposite. I was definitely the perv here.

Embarrassed, I looked up. My eyes were caught in his gaze and I shivered. Suddenly, I could hear one of the Beach Boy's old songs 'Good Vibrations' in the back of my mind. Renée would be so pleased to know that my latent hippie was coming out.

I roused myself enough to answer, "No. Yes. I mean, I thought you were just being nice to the new girl and I didn't want to impose."

His expression became even more intense, "Miss Meteor, it's no imposition. I promise."  
This man was confusing me. I had no idea what he meant or how he meant it or what I should do about it. Was it pride? Pity? Lust? Compassion?

Suddenly a soccer ball bounced over and hit him in the back. Laughing, he turned and shouted, "Hey! How about a little warning before you go pegging people?"

"Sorry, coach, it got loose. Are you going to ref this scrimmage?"

"Sure. I'll be right there." He turned back to me and smiled again. "I don't believe I know your name."

Doh! I was really a moron. I should have introduced myself the first time I met him. It's a wonder he wasn't calling me Miss Dim-wit instead of Miss Meteor.

Knowing my cheeks were nearly fire-engine red, I said, "I am Isabella Swan but most people call me Bella."

He blinked and an arrested look crossed his face as if my name surprised him. "Pleased to meet you, then, Miss Isabella Swan. I'll be seeing you around." He waved a hand at me and turned and jogged back to the field where the boys were waiting for him.

I noticed he didn't encourage me to call him again. I wondered why knowing my name put a damper on his enthusiasm? Or maybe I was just imagining everything. My reaction to him was so strong and so alien to me and evidently not a result of the heat or exhaustion. I went home to again dream about dazzling smiles, green eyes and hard bodies.

* * *

_August 12th, Parma, Florida High: 91F Low: 71 F Barometric pressure 32 inHg; Fair_

The days passed until I had to report for pre-term teacher in-service*. I was glad to be starting work. My savings were getting pretty skimpy and ramen noodles seemed to be my meal of no-choice lately. I could use a paycheck.

I woke up early the Thursday I was supposed to report to work. New hires were going to the Administrative Center for orientation two days before the veteran teachers' contracts started. I was one of five new teachers slated for Parma High. We signed all the employment forms, listened to "good employee" lectures, got our pictures taken for our ID badges and got a crash course on the various software the school system used.

About half way through the morning, we were joined by several people who were introduced as the principals of our various schools. I had never met my principal in person because he was out of the office the day I dropped in, and my interview with him was conducted over the phone while I was still in Washington. We split into groups according to school and the facilitator of the orientation announced that we were now at the mercy of our principals and wished us a good year.

Dr. Molina was a middle aged man who welcomed us warmly. He invited us to lunch at a local café as his guests. I thought this was generous but I soon learned he treated his employees extraordinarily well but in return he expected them to do an extraordinary job. I didn't mind this at all.

"Now, we at Parma High put students first. I am most concerned that each student reaches his or her fullest academic potential. I know that depends upon how well you are able to do your job and I will do everything in my power to see that you have what you need to do it. We have a unique professional mentor system at Parma High. You have each been assigned to a veteran teacher within your department with whom I am encouraging you to develop a good working relationship. You can learn a lot from them. After lunch, we will go to Parma High and you will receive your room assignments, your schedule, and meet your mentor."

We spent the rest of lunch in congenial conversation with our table mates. I was sitting next to Leah Clearwater, who was a new math teacher. She was a Native American having grown up in the middle of the Everglades on the Miccosukee Indian reservation. She actually lived in a chickee hut as a little girl. I was fascinated by her stories of a childhood so different from my own. Leah and I hit it off and I was sure we'd become friends. The rest of the people seemed congenial as well. If this was an indication of the friendliness of the rest of the staff at Parma, I was sure I would be happy working there.

Soon, I was driving to school, eager to get my assignments. We met in the principal's conference room and there were five people already in there awaiting us. Dr. Molina started pairing us together. "Ms Swan, your mentor will be Mrs. Masen." A cheery dark haired lady smiled at me and walked over to stand next to me.

"Welcome to Parma High, Ms Swan."

She studied my assignment sheet and grinned. "Good, you're right next to me in building two. Come on, let's get your keys and we'll get you settled."

She ushered me out of the administrative building and over to the next building which had the number two emblazoned on a sign that hung from the eaves. We walked up the stairs to the second floor and Diane, as Mrs. Masen asked me to call her, pointed to the first room we passed, "That's my room and this is yours."

She stood there as I unlocked the door and followed me inside. My room was trashed. There were boxes and file cabinets and teacher desks all over the place. I was stunned.

"Oh, they haven't moved this stuff out, yet. This was a teacher's work room last year. All of this should be moved to our new faculty area. Let me get the custodian up here to organize the removal. You can't get your room together with this stuff in it, that's for sure."

Diane bustled off to find the custodian and I turned to look at my new digs. This room was not like the one I had seen when I peered through a classroom window a few weeks back. Besides having the wrong sort of furniture, there wasn't a white board or any kind of board for that matter. I didn't see evidence of a LCD projector. I wasn't sure if it was set up with a teaching station either. There was a door to what looked like a closet but when I opened it, I found a bathroom. I guess that made sense due to the fact the room was originally meant to be a teacher's work room.

Honestly, I didn't know where to start. Fortunately, Diane did.

"Now, I've just spoken to Robert, our plant manager and asked him to come up here. Here's my first piece of advice: Make friends with the support staff, especially the plant manager and the custodial staff. They will be your best friends and can help you when no one else can. Watch."

Almost as soon as she finished her sentence, a wiry older man came in and looked around in dismay. "I am sorry. I didn't realize they made this into a classroom."

"Oh, Robert, it's fine. Let me introduce you to a wonderful new teacher, Isabella Swan," Diane said.

We shook hands and I smiled. "Honestly, it's okay. I am looking forward to working with you."

He smiled back at me and said, "Welcome to Parma High, Mrs. Swan."

"It's Ms Swan, actually, but please call me Bella," I grinned.

"Bella, I promise, I will have this furniture removed pronto. First, I have to find out where they want to put it."

Robert started to leave but Diane stopped him. "Hey, do you have any spare white boards hanging around?"

"I may be able to come up with one."

"Bella's going to need that as well as a decent desk and filing cabinet. Any ideas?"

Robert pondered for a moment. "I have a few. Let's see what I can do." Waving, he left us alone.

Diane sighed. "Well, there's not much you can do in here today. You are going to need AV equipment, too. I am going to introduce you to the next person you need to make friends with."

She led me out of the room and back to the Parma administrative building and knocked on a door that I hadn't noticed before.

A muffled, "Come in," prompted Diane to push open the door to a room filled with the hum of electronic equipment. There was a whole wall of servers blinking at us in the windowless room and dozens of computer components were stacked on metal shelving. Sitting in the middle of all this peering at a glowing desktop screen was the most stereotypical IT nerd Bill Gates ever tried to be – but without the money. He looked up at us and his eyes widened.

"Jake, I want to introduce you to a new English teacher, Isabella Swan." He just continued to stare owlishly at me.

A little freaked by his response, I said, "H-h-hello?"

Diane chivied him, "Come on Jake, where are your manners? I just introduced you to a pretty girl. You're supposed to say 'pleased to meetcha' or something."

Jake stumbled to his feet and simply said, "Hi. It's a pleasure."

I smiled back at him which made him freeze again.

Diane chuckled. "Bella's classroom is in the old planning room next to mine. She has NO electronics in her room and we need to fix that. Do you think you can help?"

"Sure but there's nothing in there right now."

"We know that but I bet you can wave your magic wand and fix it up for us, right?"

He nodded, still not taking his eyes off of me. "I've got a few extras stashed away."

Even though he was a little freaky, I was grateful. "Thank you, Jake. I truly appreciate it."

Diane quickly pulled me out of the "IT Lair" as she explained it was called and we went back to our classrooms. "Seems like you've made a conquest of Jake. He'll come up here and fix you right up, I am sure. Just don't let him stick you with a color laser printer. They make great copies but the cartridges are expensive and eventually the admin will announce there is no more budget for ink and you'll have to buy your own or not print anything."

I looked at her in surprise and she laughed. "Welcome to the world of education. You'll be surprised at how often you'll end up providing the supplies you'll need so you can do your job."  
I hoped that wouldn't be too often because I didn't have the extra money in my budget to do much.

Diane must have seen the look on my face and she quickly added, "Listen, Bella, before you go out and buy anything, talk to me first. I have twenty years of stockpiled and hoarded materials I'd be happy to share."

I smiled, grateful for her assistance and offer of help. We spent the next few hours going through the curriculum that I would be teaching. I had four classes of ninth graders in English I and two classes of eleventh graders in English III.

Looking over my class rolls of ninth graders, Diane said, "I hope you're up for a bunch of kids who are fully aware of the hormones pumping through their bodies but haven't the judgment to do anything sensible about them."

I laughed, "I hope so."

"You'll find the Juniors easier, more sensible and reasonable. You're lucky only to have only two preps most teachers have three. Remember, I'm just next door if you need anything and if I'm not there, you can always ask our department head. He's very helpful. Have you met him?"

I shook my head. "I really haven't met anyone besides you and the other new teachers."

"You'll love him. All the girls do," she giggled. It was strange to hear a forty-something giggle like a teen. "His room is on the other side of yours. I believe he's coming in tomorrow."

"Oh, really?"

"Yep. I won't be here tomorrow, so just go on over and introduce yourself. I know he's expecting you."

"Okay. What's his name?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? His name is Edward Cullen."

* * *

**AN**

**Publix is the ubiquitous grocery store in Florida. It's a home grown chain and for some reason, I can't think of Florida without thinking of Publix, too.**

**"In-service" is educational speak for the days a teacher must report to work but without students. This is the time for lesson planing, grading, or attending seminars and a lot of times it includes hanging around with colleagues you don't have the chance to see much of when there are students around. In our district, we get a week before the students arrive to prepare our rooms, develop our lesson plans and attend meetings where the administration tells us about new ridiculous policies to replace the old ridiculous policies.**

**Chickee huts are pretty neat. They are elevated wooden houses that have no permanent sides and a palm frond thatched roof. **

**A prep – teacherese for a lesson. In high school, a teacher usually teaches a variety of subjects but in the same field, such as a social studies teacher may teach American History or US Government or Civics in one day. As in a lot of states, in Florida each subject is broken down into the Standards; that is exactly what the students are expected to learn in each subject. The subjects are taught by lessons. Each lesson requires preparation. So, if a teacher teaches two different subjects, like Bella, she would have two preps a day even though she would repeat teaching the lessons a few times to different classes.**

**For those not familiar with the American public school set up: High school is the last four years of public education - Ninth grade through Twelfth. Ninth graders are around 14 years old and Twelfth graders are around 17 on average. Ninth grade is also called the Freshman year, Tenth is Sophomore, Eleventh is Junior and Twelfth is Senior.**

**To answer some common questions:**

**There will be no student teacher hanky panky.**

**Parma is a fictitious Gulf-coast town and there is no Bishop county in Florida.**

**I know this started off really formulaic, but there will be some twists coming up that I have never seen in fanfic before. I hope you are enjoying it anyway.**

**AND THANKS to my beta and friend, Kris.**


	3. Chapter 3 Bermuda High

Chapter Three: Bermuda High

_The Azores High known more commonly as the Bermuda High in North America because of the strong westward ridging of air masses that sometimes develop near Bermuda. In the summer season it causes intense heat waves to occur in the eastern United States._

* * *

Parma, Florida August 13th, High 91 F, Low 73 F Humidity 75%

So, Edward Cullen was the English department chair?

That explained a few things.

It explained was how he knew how to use "whom" properly and also why he backed off a million miles when he heard my name the other day. Being department chair, he probably knew the names of any new English teacher that was arriving at Parma and I suppose it wouldn't look good for him to be caught fraternizing with a coworker and, as some would view it, a subordinate. That is, if he ever wanted to fraternize with me. I only knew that I would really like to fraternize the hell out of him.

Or, maybe he discovered I was a total goof ball after all and decided to put distance between us, except that since our classrooms were right next to each other that plan was probably foiled. I guessed I was doomed to be his weird next door neighbor.

I had a lot to do that night, so I put it out of my mind and focused on the subject matter I was going to teach. As I read through the curriculum, I jotted down ideas I could use in class. I also wrote down some questions I could ask Edward Cullen tomorrow – not the ridiculously immature ones I wanted to ask, mind you, like "Do you like me? y/n" or "Can I sex you up? y/y?" No, my questions were more prosaic about media center access and lamination. I hoped I had the nerve the next day to ask even them.

I packed up a few boxes of materials I thought would be useful in my classroom and then got ready for bed. My first work day was over for this school year. I only had 197 more to go. I didn't know whether to look forward to it or dread it.

The next morning I arrived at school early so I could get a jump start on organizing my room. I was delighted to find that it had been cleaned out and it looked like that the floor had been freshly waxed. A new white board was attached to the wall and out in the hallway was a four drawer filing cabinet and what looked like a new teacher's desk and chair. Wow. I certainly didn't expect all of that so quickly. Diane was right about being sure to make friends in the right places.

There was a note on the door requesting no one go in the room for another half-hour, so I put the box I was carrying on the desk out in the hall and then went back down to the parking lot to get a second box. As I was digging around in the bed of my truck, a familiar Volvo pulled into the lot and parked next to me. As soon as I recognized its driver, my heart started pounding and I wasn't sure how I was going to react to him.

He climbed out of his car, nodded hello and said, "Well, Miss Meteor, you're here early."

Already blushing, I found myself wishing he wouldn't refer to our embarrassing first meeting every time he saw me. "I wanted to get a head start on my room."

He reached out to take the box I was holding. "Here, let me help you. That looks heavy."

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm stronger than I look."

He smiled. "But, Miss Meteor, it is my job to help you. Come on, let me." Just the sound of his voice gave me goose bumps. Oh my god. I melted. How could he do this to me so easily?

He took the box from me as I was practically paralyzed by his proximity. My heart was not just beating, it was throbbing and a tingling feeling shot through my body. I was sure I was drooling. I looked down at my now empty arms and noticed that my headlights were on high beam - and I wasn't talking about the truck.  
I really was an idiot. A horny idiot. A silly, horny idiot.

I tried to nonchalantly cross my arms so that I could cover my traitorous nipples but that made me look even more dorky and conspicuous, so I swung around and grabbed the last box from my truck and strategically held it so that my lights were dimmed. I was going to have to get some lined bras if I was to be spending much time in the vicinity of Mr. Adonis.

We started to walk back to our rooms, "I hope you are finding your way around easily, Miss Meteor."

"I'm doing fairly well, I think. I discovered that you are my department chair."

He reddened a bit, "I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself to that way when we met but, to be honest, I was distracted by other things at the time."

Yeah. His soccer team was antsy for him to start their practice or something.

"My classroom was still set up for a teacher's work area when I got here yesterday. My mentor, Diane Masen, knew exactly whom to talk to about that."

"Yeah. Diane's great. Did she get in touch with Robert?"

"She did. I came in this morning and the room's been cleaned out, the white board is already attached to the wall and he even got the floor waxed."

"Hmmm. Sounds like you impressed Robert, as well."

"As well?"

"Certainly. You impressed Dr. Molina because he hired you sight unseen. Your recommendations were stellar."

"Wow. Did you have a say in my employment?"

Edward shrugged. "As a courtesy, Dr. Molina always consults with the department heads about prospective teachers. He and I had a discussion about you but he had his mind pretty well made up to hire you before he spoke to me."

"That's reassuring."

"You should be happy about that."

"I am." I paused, then feeling a little insecure, I added, "Are you?"

Edward just cut his eyes at me and smiled. "I believe, Miss Meteor, that I am."

We ascended the stairs – I tried to walk behind him so I could ogle his magnificent ass but he, ever the gentleman, insisted that I precede him - and walked down the hallway and now were standing in front of my room.

"Why do you call me Miss Meteor?"

He stopped and looked full at me. Grinning ruefully and he shook his head but he only said, "And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire…"

I could tell he was quoting something but I didn't know what, so I did what I always did when I was flummoxed; I blushed and said something stupid like, "Crashed across your sky more than shot, I think."

Laughing, he set the box he was carrying down on my desk and turned back to me. "Have you gotten settled in Parma, yet? Found a place to live?"

His voice was pure sex but I am sure he didn't realize it. It caressed my ears then twisted and curled its way down my spine to lodge in my nether regions. But he did ask me a question. Focus, Bella!

"Actually, I have. I'm renting Eleanor Cope's guest house. I'm very happy there."

"Mrs. Cope? Our old librarian? She retired the year after I came to Parma High. She's quite eccentric, as I remember."

"She's colorful alright but she's also very sweet and kind."

"She lives near the beach, doesn't she?"

"A few blocks away, in the older section of town."

"It's older but still nice."

I nodded. "It's a lot better than I expected to find."

"Do you get to the beach much?"

Looking down at my lily white arms I shrugged and said, "I know I don't look like it but I do go just about every day. I have enjoyed having beach to myself in the mornings. I was surprised at how deserted it is."

"That will all change when the season begins."

"When will that be?"

"The snowbirds* start coming back in October and that continues until Christmas but we really start getting slammed after New Years. Our population quadruples. Traffic is insane and you'll wonder if it is the same sleepy little town you enjoyed this summer."

"That will be different. What's a snowbird?"

He chuckled, "Did they have those little black and white birds up north where you lived? Juncos, I think they are also  
called? Well, those little birds show up in the North when the snow comes. Our snowbirds show up here when the snow comes. They winter down here and when the cold is gone in the north, they go back 'home.' The crowds they make are indeed different but in its own way, it is nice."

He looked at the sign that was on my door and suggested, "Why don't I help you move your furniture in? I believe the wax has set enough by now."

Between the two of us we got both the teacher's desk, the filing cabinet and my boxes situated in the room. As far as I was concerned, the electricity in the air was popping. I couldn't be within two feet of the man without feeling a compulsion to throw myself into his arms – again. One time he reached over me to push the desk into position a little better than I had managed and, honest to god, I had to bite my lip to keep from rubbing against him like a cat in heat. It was disturbing to realize that without too much effort, I could probably sound like one, too.

Edward, seemingly oblivious to my inner hormoil (hormonal turmoil), pointed out where the teaching station would be set up and suggested that would be the best place for my work area and I gladly took his advice. While we were working, Jacob Black came in pushing a cart loaded with electronic equipment.

"Hello, Jake. How's it going?" Edward asked pleasantly.

Jacob seemed surprised to find Edward in my room with me and looked discomfited but he responded, "Fine," and just stood there in the middle of the room and stared at us.

"Have you come to install Ms Swan's electronic equipment?" Edward asked.

Jacob nodded.

"Well, don't let me get in the way. Bella, if you need me, I'll be next door. Right next door." Edward leveled a look at Jake and left.

"Uhm. Where do you want your computer?" Jake asked.

"Over here next to my desk?"

There was a six foot long table that was set perpendicular to the wall the white board was on. This is where the computer and AV equipment were to be installed. Jacob pushed his cart over to the table and started setting up a key board, computer, DVD/VCR player, printer and monitor. In a few minutes he had everything hooked up and connected. He turned on the computer and started working on getting that situated.

While Jacob worked, I unpacked my boxes. I started making a list of things I needed, specifically office supplies. There was a built in storage cabinet in the corner but it was locked and I didn't have the key to it.

"Jacob, do you know where I can get a key to this cabinet?"

He paused what he was doing and looked up at me. "I bet one of the teachers who used this room last year used that cabinet and copped the key. Robert may have a copy."

"Okay. I will ask him, thanks."

My question seemed to break the ice. Jake stopped and looked up at me. "Uhm, so how do you like Parma?"

"It's pretty wonderful so far. I love the beach."

We worked in silence for a moment when he commented, "Oh. The beach is okay. But it's not the most amazing part of Bishop County. You ever been in the 'Glades?"

"The glades?" I repeated.

"The Everglades. It's like a different world there."

"Actually, I haven't really. I've been keeping pretty close to Parma."

"I grew up in the Everglades." He was smiling eagerly.

"Really? I met another person who grew up there yesterday. It was fascinating to listen to her tell stories of her childhood."

"Who was that?"

"Leah Clearwater. She's a new teacher here, too."

"Oh, Leah. Yeah. She's my cousin."

"Really?

"Yeah. We grew up together."

"She seemed pretty nice."

Jacob shrugged. "She's nice enough." Then changing the subject, he suggested, "If you want, I'd be happy to show you the Everglades."

I was taken aback. Jacob seemed nice enough but something about him made me a little leery. Before I could answer him, Edward leaned into the doorway, "Bella, if you'd like, I'll show you where the teacher's work room is."

Relieved not to have to answer Jacob, I jumped up and walked to the door, "Sure."

Before I left, I turned to Jake and said, "I'll see you around. Thanks for your help in here."

Jacob frowned but nodded and went back to work as I joined Edward in the hallway.

"I hope you didn't mind me interrupting but I was going downstairs and thought you'd like to come with me. Jacob seemed a little intense there."

"I suppose so. Maybe he's shy or something."

"Maybe." Edward sounded doubtful.

We arrived at a door on the first floor hallway of our building and he got out a key and unlocked it. He held the door open for me so I had to move closer to him to get inside. I looked up as I passed and was surprised to find that laser look reappear in his eyes and my skin was again zinging with sensation. But we weren't touching, I was just close to him and my body was reacting big time. It was more like anticipation or magic or over reactive womones (woman hormones). I almost fluttered closer to him but amazingly my self-esteem and self-preservation kicked in and I was able to step away. Really, what had come over me?

Clearing my throat, I looked around the room. There were some sofas and tables arranged around the room. Some vending machines were along the wall that dispensed sodas and snack foods. It looked like a typical employees' lounge. "This is a work room?"

"Yes, but not many use it for that. It's mostly a place you go to eat lunch or to gossip. To be honest, other than buying stuff from the machines, I rarely come here myself."

For some reason, I was glad to know he didn't like hanging around the lounge. From the few jobs I've had before graduating from school, I learned to dread the places. More drama was created there than on a soap opera and I was better off without it.

"But anyway," he was saying, "this is the cabinet where office supplies for our department are kept. I have the key but all you have to do is ask and I'll be happy to let you get what you need from it." He unlocked the metal armoire to reveal five shelves filled with treasure. There was something about office supplies that just made me giddy. It was just another characteristic that proved my weirdness.

"Thanks. I was just thinking I needed to make a run to Office Depot."

"Always check here first before you go spending your own money."

He reached in and pulled out a box of manila file folders. "Here, help yourself. I reloaded this thing last week and you have first dibs."

My eyes gleamed and I started rummaging through the stash. I pulled out a box of hanging file folders, cellophane tape, staples, lined paper pads, a box of pencils and another of pens. I paused and looked, not finding all I needed.

"Do you need something else?" Edward was watching me with an amused grin.

"Well, are there any staplers or tape dispensers?"

"You ask and it shall be given!" Edward smirked and bent down to the bottom shelf and reached into the back. He pulled out two boxes, one of each of my desired goodies.

"Thanks!" I tried to juggle what I had in my arms to take the two boxes.

"Wait a minute," he said softly. He went over to the shelves near the window and pulled out an empty box that was stored there. "Put your supplies in here." He added four reams of copy paper.

"Oh right," I said as I did as he requested, then looked around the room. "There's not a copier in here?" I asked.

"No. We have a production room in the administrative building. You turn in what you want to have copied and the assistant does it. Dr. Molina swears it saves on paper, prevents copier machines from getting abused and forces teachers to be more organized." He was smiling as he said it.

"Oh." I was getting nervous, wondering if I would be able to be as organized as Dr. Molina expected.

He leaned closer to me and whispered, "I'll let you in on a secret. I have a copier in my room that I bought. It's just a small desk top thing but in a pinch it does the job. If you ever need to copy something quick, just ask."

Feeling heady from his nearness, I looked gratefully at him, "Thank you. You've been very kind to me."

His expression softened for some reason and he said, "It's my job, ma'am."

I was trapped again in his gaze. When I figured out that taking a breath would be advisable, I gasped and broke eye contact. Edward looked baffled and he walked to the other side of the room as if to give us space, or to get the hell away from the moony half-wit he was saddled with. Well, I was determined that I was going to stop being an idiot around him. That meant that I needed to stop being around him because evidently I couldn't seem to stop from being an idiot.

"Thank you very much for showing me around the school. I truly appreciate your help. You've been quite wonderful. I'll get back upstairs and finish unpacking." Grabbing the box of office supplies, I made my escape.

Jacob had evidently completed his tasks in my room and I had the place to myself. I quickly started unloading my box and in a few more minutes, I had my room as organized as I could. I really needed to be able to get into that locked cabinet but until I could get a key, that was a moot point.

Using the information they gave me the day before, I was able to log on to my computer and make sure I had access to the programs I'd need. Everything was done electronically at Parma; grade book, lesson planning, attendance, and student information. The night before, I found that I could also log on to those programs at home using the newly connected internet. I was surprised at how easily things were going together. *

I spent the next few hours developing the first week's lesson plans, printing out student rolls and developing my class room management procedures. At lunch time, Robert came by. "Ms Swan, how many student desks do you need in here?"

"According to my class lists, my largest class has twenty-two students."

"Okay. I'll have the night custodians put student desks in here over the weekend."

"Thank you very much for fixing the room up so quickly. I was quite impressed and grateful to see it organized for me this morning."

Robert flashed a smile. "Oh, no problem. I didn't know they were converting this room or I would have had it done before you got here yesterday. How are things going for you?"

"Great. The only problem I have now, is I don't have a key to this cabinet." I indicated the mysterious cabinet in the corner behind my desk.

"Oh, that's easily fixed." Robert walked over to it and peered closely at the lock and started to mumble under his breath, "Two Zero Two One." He pulled out a huge key ring that he wore on a chain connected to his belt and started to sort through the keys there.

"I think this one will work." He fitted the key to the lock and soon had the cabinet door opened. It was filled to the brim with crap.

"Oh, dear," I said.

"Looks like someone forgot to clean this out last summer," Robert commented.

"Do you think it would be okay if I emptied it out and packed the contents in boxes for the person it belongs to?"

"Sure. Shouldn't have been left in there in the first place. You can pitch it as far as I am concerned. I'll make a copy of this key for you. I'll be back in a few," he said as he left.

I shoved the empty boxes I had accrued during the day over to the cabinet and started to unload the shelves. I was surprised at the stuff I found in there. True, there were the typical graded student assignments, a lot of those, some going back several years. There were boxes of old pencils, text books, office supplies and other things of that nature but there also was some really weird crap. Make up. Perfume. Lingerie. Six inch stiletto heels.

And Condoms and a tube of lube.

Holy shit, what had this person been doing up here?

Gingerly, I loaded up the boxes wondering who on earth could be responsible for this stuff and I stacked them on the back shelf of the classroom. Then shuddering, my imagination took flight. Eww.

I took a bottle of Clorox Clean Up I'd brought from home and scoured the inside of the cabinet. For good measure, I scoured the book case as well. No flat surface was going to be left un-dehoochied. I got the willies thinking of what may have gone on here. I went into the bathroom and not only scrubbed the toilet but also the sink, although I was sure the custodians had done that themselves.

I knew I was lucky to have a bathroom attached to my room but understood it was simply because this room was designed to be something else originally. The bathroom was pretty big. It had a large shower stall, a toilet, a sink and a storage bench. There was a metal cabinet in it, although unlike the one in the classroom, it was empty and the key was inside sitting on a shelf just waiting for me to use it. I scoured the storage bench pretty thoroughly as I did the classroom bookcase. I could only imagine what went on in here. With one last shudder, I washed my hands, went back to my computer and focused on my lesson plans.

Around three, Edward came back to check on me. He had changed out of the cargo shorts and t-shirt he had been wearing in the morning to athletic shorts, cleats, and a plain white t-shirt. "I have conditioning to supervise, so I thought I'd check in with you to see how you were doing."

"I am doing well, I think. I've got the first week lesson plans completed and I am ready to drop off my "to be copied" pile to production."

"Good. Just email me a copy of your plans when you're done. I have to keep them on hand. Any questions?"

"None right now, thanks."

He smiled that charming, crooked smile and asked, "Any plans?"

Any plans? What sort of plans? Lesson plans? Weren't we just talking about that? "I beg your pardon?"

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

Oh, those sorts of plans. My heart started to beat double time. Why did he want to know that? Was he going to ask me out? Could I handle going on a date with him without completely embarrassing myself with my ever present, supreme dorkitude? He wasn't really my boss but he was someone I had to report to, so was it right for us to even date? I was half panicked, half ecstatic at the prospect.

I hedged, "Well, I suppose I'll be doing just my usual. I will hit the beach in the mornings and some yard sales after. Nothing exciting."

He smiled, "Well, I'll see you around then. Take care." And he left.

I could hear the loser anthem resounding in my head. Wah, wah, wah. Of course he doesn't want to go out with me. He doesn't see me in that light.

I sighed gustily. As usual, this man left me perpetually confused-and totally aroused.

* * *

**AN**  
***Snowbirds are people who come south to escape the harsh winters in northern climes. They are usually retirees with very bad taste in casual wear. **

***This proves that I am writing a fantasy. In reality, technology NEVER works the first time you try to log on.**


	4. Chapter 4 A Following Wind

Chapter Four: A Following Wind

_A following wind is blows in the general direction of a vessel's course._

* * *

_Parma, Florida August 16, High 91 F, Low 73 F, Barometric Pressure: 32 inHg. Fair, Clear._

I floated on my back in the warm water, the warmth of the sun caressing my body, and relished how completely relaxed I felt. Ah, this was the life. Today, I was convinced that moving to Parma was the best decision I ever made. The gentle waves of the gulf lapped the shore and the screeching of distant seagulls provided the reminder that I was actually here – in paradise.

Over the summer, I had arranged my days so I could start each one at the beach. I'd stuff some fruit, a granola bar, my heavily creamed and sugared coffee in a travel mug, a dog eared romance novel, my beach blanket, sunscreen (spf 1,000,000 for my hopelessly ghostlike complexion) in a beach bag. Then I'd pull on my bikini, cover that with my sarong, grab my keys and out of the door I'd go. It took me ten minutes on a lazy day to walk to the beach where I'd generally find it deserted.

The Parma beach was beautiful, and lovely, and marvelous and I enjoyed every blessed minute of my time there. It wasn't wide as some but it was edged with palm trees, so when the sun got to be too much, I could retreat into their shade.

After splashing around a bit, I decided it was time to get out and read before leaving to start the rest of my day. I stretched out on my blanket, propped up on my elbows and looked down the shore line. I could only see one other person besides myself here today. I was amazed to have this entire little Eden almost to myself.

I decided to slather on another coat of sunscreen. I squirted some lotion into my hands and started to reapply it to my legs. I looked back down the beach and could see the other person, a man, jogging towards me but he was still pretty far away. There was something about him that seemed familiar. I stared at him for a bit, then focused on rubbing the lotion onto my legs. When I looked back up I knew why the jogger looked familiar. He was close enough now I could clearly see his features. It was Edward.

My heart started pounding and I could feel a blush rise to my cheeks.

Did you ever see the movie "_10_?" Do you remember the scene where Dudley Moore's character- wearing a sweat suit, mind you- was day dreaming about Bo Derek's character running towards him on the beach with Ravel's Bolero -a musical theme used on the original Star Trek, by the way (Yes, I am that big of a dork) - swelling in the background the closer she got to him?

Well, that was me.

Rather, Dudley was me and Bo was Edward and I swear I could hear the French horns doing that farty thing in crescendos as I watched him run towards me down the beach.

Oh my God. He was a miracle. He was wearing only loose fitting athletic shorts and running shoes. I could hardly breathe as I ogled him. His long body was perfectly shaped and the sweat that glistened on his skin just invited me to lick it off, even if that was sort of gross when you thought about it. His damp hair was all over the place and when he saw me sitting there gaping at him, he smiled.

My insides felt like they turned to goo, along with any coherent thought I had. I was overwhelmed with desire for this man, thoroughly smitten with what must be lust. I know I looked like an idiot, freezing during mid-sunscreen application.

"Well, Miss Meteor, fancy meeting you here." He stopped in front of me, hands on his hips, his eyes steady on mine as if he couldn't bear to look at my near nakedness – my bikini was embarrassingly teeny. I wasn't used to having people around me at the beach, so I wore whatever came to hand. I quickly wrapped my sarong around me and stood up.

"Uhm. Well, I do come here in the morning most days. It's very peaceful." I started to gather my belongings, stuffing them into my bag.

"You're not leaving, are you?"

"I've been out here for a while. I don't usually stay for long because of my fish belly skin." I gestured down at my body which was partially covered by the sarong but my left leg was sticking out where the edges of the material hadn't met. I saw his eyes follow my gesture and surprisingly, his look was particularly intense when he looked back up at me.

He swallowed then commented, "Oh that's right. You told me you had some yard sales to get to."

"Yep. I have to get there early or else the pickers will beat me out on the good stuff."

He laughed, his hands on his hips and grinned, "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"I thought of a dozen things I could use for my classroom yesterday and I still need some furniture for my place. It's hard to find anything decent that will also fit my budget."

"You know, I'm getting rid of a few things. My roommate just bought new living room furniture and we have no place for the old stuff. I'm sure, if you liked it, we could cut you a deal."

"Oh." I was hesitant because, from my experience, furniture in bachelor pads was subjected to disgusting and unspeakable crimes. I looked at him and my uncertainty must have shown.

"I promise it is decent stuff, Bella. I wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't. I don't live too far from here. It wouldn't hurt for you to just to come see it. No hard feelings if it isn't your style."

"Well, thank you, Edward," I smiled. "Once again you have helped me."

"Don't say that until you see what I'm trying to get rid of," he laughed.

"So, where is this living room suite you want to foist upon me?"

"Miss Meteor, I would never try to foist anything upon you. I can't say that I wouldn't stoop to enticing you a bit, but the choice will always entirely be up to you."

I laughed and cocked my head to the side. "Do you promise?"

That intense look was back, "Always."

It felt as though we were having two conversations here but I only understood one of them. So, I plowed on, "Where do you live?"

"Do you know where Calusa Towers is?"

"No. I'm afraid not."

"It's near Mulligan's."

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head. "I haven't been out much since I moved here."

"That's completely understandable. I ran here, so if you don't mind giving me a ride, we can drive over to my place and you can see if anything will suit you?" Edward asked helpfully.

I thought about that for two seconds. "Sure."

I tried not to appear too eager so I tried to sound nonchalant as I said, "We will need to walk back to my place to get my truck and I would like to get cleaned up before we go, if that's alright with you."

I didn't want to scare him off. I know I probably couldn't be anything more than a friend to him. He was totally out of my league but at least we could have a congenial relationship.

Grinning, he took my bag, followed me off the beach and down the few blocks to Eleanor's place. Again, he did not let me walk behind him so I could sneak looks at his butt. Curses, foiled again.

When we got to my place, Eleanor was in the yard trying to arrange her newly bought flock of plastic pink flamingos to look more "natural" in their setting. She was pleased with the work I had done in the yard so far especially since it broadened her yard decoration horizons.

"Why Edward Cullen! It's a pleasure to see you again." Eleanor dropped flamingo #12 and rushed over to hug him. She lingered a little, stroking his abs. No fool was she.

"You bad boy, you haven't been 'round to see me in a while. How's that cute little girlfriend of yours?"

Okay. Yes. At that moment, I was living every literary cliché ever devised. Eleanor's statement felt exactly like a bucket of ice water dumped on my heart – or my girly bits. Yes, there was the awkward silence. Yes, you could actually have heard a pin drop. Yes, Edward's face lost all color. And yes, it seemed like time slowed down to a glacial pace.

Edward managed to choke out, "Oh, Mrs. Cope, er, uh…" He didn't finish his sentence but that was okay with Mrs. Cope. She continued as though he had answered her.

"She is such a pretty little thing. The way you two are together, I am sure you two are MFEO." She'd been watching Tom Hanks' movies lately. She put her movies on repeat and played them all day long. Yesterday, it was gunfire, explosions from _Saving Private Ryan_. Today, it must be _Sleepless in Seattle._ Tomorrow, I was probably going to hear "WILSON!" echoing throughout the yard over and over again.  
Edward looked like he would rather be anywhere else than standing in Mrs. Cope's yard having this conversation. I decided to put him out of his misery.

"Edward knew I was looking for some furniture and he may have some for me. He's going to take me over to his place to look at it. See you later, Eleanor."

I smiled at Edward in commiseration as I let him into my front room. "Eleanor's a trip."

"She's always been."

"Here you go." I reached into my fridge and grabbed a bottle of water for him. "As you can see, the only places I have to offer you to sit are the chairs at the dining room table. Give me a few minutes to clean up and I'll be right with you."

I hurriedly showered off the salt water. I had planned to do my laundry this evening so the only decent thing I had to wear was a sundress. It certainly wasn't the best choice for moving furniture but it sure beat my threadbare blue jeans with the hole in the ass. I felt very conscious of Edward sitting out in the front room waiting for me. I couldn't even offer him the remote so he could watch TV while he waited as the television was in my bedroom.

The minute I had my sundress on, I opened the bedroom door a little. I figured we could chat as I ran a comb through my damp hair and pulled it up into a bun. After the sun, I knew I needed to moisturize my skin or I'd regret it later. I stood behind the door out of view from the room but still able to converse with the Adonis sitting in the other room.

"Edward, thank you so much for helping me."

"It's no problem, Miss Meteor." I could hear the teasing note in his voice.

I started rubbing the cream into my arms and shoulders.

"What do you teach, Edward?"

"Well, I am the English department chair. That should be a clue."

His voice sounded a little tight, as if he was stressed. That was puzzling. But his response caused me to indelicately snort and I shook my head as I lifted my leg to prop it on the bed and started massaging the moisturizer into it.

"I know that you teach English, Edward, but what subjects?"

"This year I'll teach Seniors. AP English*, Honors English IV, and English IV." He sounded distracted. Maybe there was something catching his attention in the other room.

"Have you ever taught English I or English III?" I lifted my other leg and propped it on a chair and started on it.

"Yes. I only taught freshmen my first two years at Parma and I had a few classes of Juniors last year." His voice was deeper.

"Do you think ninth graders are more or less difficult than the upper grades?" I had to admit I was a little worried about all the freshmen I was going to be teaching. I was applying moisturizer to my thigh now.

"They have their challenges just like any class."

Did he sort of groan at the end there? I looked up in surprise and happened to see Edward's reflection in my dresser mirror. I realized that he was watching me as I applied my moisturizer. I stared back into his eyes. He gaze was intense but that changed quite quickly to one of sheer embarrassment. He got up out of the chair and moved so that I could no longer see his reflection.

Now, if it had been any other guy ogling me while I was putting on lotion, I would have been creeped out. In this case, I was sort of turned on. Evidently, he liked the little show I unsuspectingly put on for him. I smiled. But then I realized I'd better get out there. The longer I waited, the more embarrassed he'd be.  
I walked into the front room to find him staring out the big front window, his hands in his pockets.

"Ready to go?" I asked.

He swung around with a very pained look on his face. "Please accept my apology for …for…" he seemed to run out of words. That was pretty surprising for an English teacher.

"Edward, it's all right." I smiled. "I didn't mean to put on a show."

"I didn't mean to be a voyeur."

"Then it was an accident all around. No worries."

"Thank you. You are very gracious." He held open the door for me and smiled.

Gulp. He really did things to me. How can this be possible? I climbed into the cab of my truck and unlocked the passenger door.

"I am surprised you drive a truck," he said as he got in.

I chuckled, "My father, who is a cop, prefers to know that I am in one of the bigger vehicles on the road. All I've ever had were trucks. Well, that sounds like I have owned a dozen but, really, this is only the second one. My old truck could have passed for a tank."

Edward laughed, "A tank? I can't imagine."

"Yes. It had been rebuilt but originally it was new in 1953."

"No kidding? That must have been something to see."

"And hear. It was loud and slow. You could never have used it for a getaway car. My dad loved knowing that was my mode of transportation. It was safe on many counts as far as a protective father was concerned." I had to laugh. I started the truck and pulled out onto the street.

"Turn right at the next intersection and then right again when you get to route forty-one." I did as he directed.

"So, how was your truck safe as far as your dad was concerned?"

"Well, it was a tank, so I'd win in a crash. It was slow, so I had to drive like an old lady. It was loud, so I couldn't sneak off in the night or home in the morning. And it definitely wasn't a guy magnet."

"A guy magnet?"

"My truck was not at all sexy. Most guys were horrified when they saw that old rust bucket."

"Most guys wouldn't care about the truck as much as who was driving it."

I coughed and blushed. He caught me off guard once again. "Er, well not that I ever noticed."

He turned to me a bit, a cute little smile curving his lips. "Miss Meteor, I bet you broke hearts right and left."

Blushing, I responded, "Not exactly. I was usually so bundled up, no one could ever get a good look at me. Plus, the fact that Forks is a small town and my father was the Chief of Police there – the boys were scared off, I think. Anyway, the perpetual blue of my skin tone from always being so cold was definitely unattractive. "

"And that's why you moved here?"

"Yes. Well, it was one of the reasons. I was also offered a job here. How did you end up in Parma?" I turned onto Route Forty-One.

He chuckled and responded, "Have you ever been in Chicago during the winter?"

"No."

"I bet Washington State would seem balmy in comparison."

"So you escaped the winter, too."

"In a way. My college roommate was from Parma. He invited me down here for spring break one year. It was love at first sight. I knew instantly I wanted to live here. I was really lucky it worked out."

"How long have you taught at Parma?"

"Five years. I've been department head for a year."

"You're sort of young for that, aren't you?"

He snorted and said, "No one wants to be department head, honestly. It's not worth the trouble."

"Really?"

Nodding, he said, "There's a lot of paperwork and meetings to attend. And there's really no authority associated with the job, just responsibility. I have to collect lesson plans from all the English teachers but if I notice something that needed adjustment, I have no clout to see that it is changed. I do get a stipend but it's not much at all for all the headaches involved."

"Then why do it?"

"It was my turn, I guess. Left up here." He indicated a street I'd never been down. Shortly, we arrived in front of a three story apartment building.

"These are towers?"

"In Parma, they are. There's a building code that prohibits any building taller than forty feet."

I pulled into a parking space and we hopped out of the truck. Edward led me up stairs to the second floor and unlocked one of the doors that shared the landing. Ushering me inside his apartment, he called out, "Rosalie? Are you home?"

"Yep, I'll be right out," a dulcet voice called from the hallway that must have led back to the bedroom.  
Suddenly, the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in my life - and that included Bo Derek- walked into the living room.

Edward grinned at her and said to me, "Bella, I'd like you to meet another Parma teacher, Rosalie Hale."

* * *

**AN**  
**"10" was a fun movie about a horny older man who perved on this sweet young thing. Fortunately for him, she perved right back at him. Yep. This was also a fantasy and upon reflection, it sounds a lot like Twilight. (Just kidding, just kidding.) **

**AP English… the AP stands for Advanced Placement. In May of every year, students take a national cumulative test if they are enrolled in AP courses (there's AP English, Calculus, Biology, World History, etc). If they score high enough, they will earn college credits and not have to take that subject once they get to post- secondary school, maybe. It's actually a brilliant money making scheme on behalf of the testing authority. They charge about $90 per exam and have convinced most colleges to accept a passing grade. In our school district, the school pays the fee. All the testing company did was develop a test that covers all the standards for a course, grade it and disseminate the grades.**

**Thanks to my beta, Kris. She is very good at the hand holding.**

**Questions asked:**

**No, I am not an English teacher. My lack of comma-fu should have been a clue.**

**Parma doesn't exist outside of my mind, sorta. Actually, it's an idealized version of my home town.**

**The school operations are going to seem impossibly wonderful – too good to be true. Believe me, sweethearts, they are.**


	5. Chapter 5 Red Sky in the Morning

Chapter 5: Red Sky in the Morning

_Red sky in the morning; sailor's warning._  
_Red sky at night; sailor's delight._

* * *

_Parma, Fl, High 91F, Low 77 F; Barometric Pressure, 29.9inHg; Thunderstorms_

Rosalie extended her hand to me and said, "It's good to meet you, Bella. Welcome to Parma."

I fumbled with the hand shake and managed to mumble hello while my brain, my heart and my neglected girly bits were screaming in despair. My amazing Edward was living with the modern Bo Derek. Was this the pretty little thing Eleanor had gone on about? Was she his girlfriend?

I was suddenly feeling nauseous. Even more than that, I was really confusing myself. I had just met this man and I was already getting sick over the fact that 1) he had a girlfriend 2) she was beautiful and 3) they were living together. What was wrong with me now? I thought I was going completely nuts.

Maybe moving to Parma was the worst decision I had ever made.

"Bella's interested in my old furniture, Rose. She has an empty apartment to fill."

"That's great!" Rosalie waved over to the far wall at a futon that was shoved under the window. "There's the futon and I have the matching papasan chair in my room."

There was no way I was going into their bedroom. It would just send my mind in directions that I didn't want to go. It was like a knife in the heart –and other places.

I walked over to the futon to check it out. The material that covered the mattress was olive green. I could work with the color. I liked the light wood and it looked well kept. I could live with this. It now just depended upon how much they wanted for it.

"The little table next to it goes with and it has a mate in the other room," Rosalie helpfully added.

"How much are you asking for the set?"

Rosalie looked at Edward, "How much?"

"I don't know… fifty bucks?"

I blinked again. Maybe I was developing a nervous tic. But this time, instead of blinking from shock, I was blinking because fifty dollars was a great price. It was a ridiculously low price. I sat down on the futon and bounced a little. I wasn't quite crass enough to sniff around the mattress to see if it had any hidden odors while Rosalie and Edward were standing there but the futon having a funkitude was the only reason I could think of for such a low price.

I looked at the table that went with it and was pleased with that as well. Even if the chair was a piece of crap, I'd still get my money's worth from the futon.

"I'll take them."

"That's great. I'll help you move them down to your truck but let me get cleaned up first. Would you like a beer while you wait?" Edward asked.

Rose had already gone to the kitchen and fetched three beers. Handing them out she said, "It's a little early but we need to celebrate your deal."

I could use a beer or six by now so, I gratefully took what she offered. The three of us clanked our bottles together and then Edward excused himself and went back to the bedroom, I supposed, to get changed.

"So, Edward told me you were teaching English this year?"

"Yes. I have mostly ninth graders and some juniors."

"I teach Social Studies to ninth graders – World History. I can't imagine a subject they are less interested in."

I had to chuckle. "How do you keep their interest, then?"

"I change it up. Sometimes we dress up as historical figures. Sometimes I have the kids teach the class. We play a lot of games where they compete against each other. You wouldn't believe what kids will do for free pizza."

Rosalie was growing on me. She seemed friendly and dedicated to her career. I could see why Edward liked her.

"How long have you been at Parma High?"

"Oh, as a teacher, six years but I grew up here. I actually graduated from Parma. I really enjoy the school and the students. It's a nice mix." We chatted a little more about the school and teaching when Edward rejoined us, towel drying his hair. It always amazed me how quickly guys could get ready when they had to.

"Between the three of us, we should be able to get the furniture down to your truck," Edward said.

The futon wasn't that heavy, just awkward, so with Rosalie and me at one end and Edward at the other, we managed easily enough. We returned to the apartment and I made a bee line to the end table that was in the living room. Rose and Edward disappeared down the hall to get the other two pieces. By the time I had carried the end table down to the truck, Rosalie was coming down with the papasan chair stand and Edward was carrying the actual chair. It was enormous but I could imagine curling up with a good book as I sat in it. I certainly had plenty of room for it. While I wrote out a check,  
Edward went back up to get the last end table.

Looking up at Rosalie, I asked, "To whom should I make this check?"

"Just write it out to Edward. It was his furniture in the first place." I did as she suggested and when Edward returned, I handed him the check.

"You can pay me after our first pay day."

There's that tic again of mine again, blinking away. Why was he being so nice to me? "It's okay. I have some money set aside for furniture and stuff. Fifty bucks is a good price."

Edward pocketed the check as I went to get in the cab of my truck. I turned to say goodbye to them but was surprised when Edward hopped up into the passenger's seat. "I am going to help you unload as well," he explained.

I hadn't thought of that. "Thank you. You are so very kind to me."

"Miss Meteor, you're forgetting my role."

Blushing, I remembered. He had assigned himself the position of being my rescuer, like a guardian angel or a big brother. I almost sighed with regret. I could think of a dozen ways he could rescue me, not one of them angelic or fraternal in nature.

We drove back to my house talking about work. We had the new furniture unloaded and put away in five minutes. I drove him back to his house and I left him there on his curb. He watched me drive off as I watched him in my rear view mirror. The butterflies in my stomach were still having a hoe down. Oh Lord, why did he make me feel like this when he wasn't single? It wasn't fair.

I spent the rest of the morning checking out yard sales. I found a few bargains; some lamps, a dirty shoji screen I thought I could clean, a CD player/radio I could use in my classroom, a partial bolt of material that I could use to make curtains and pillow cases for my home, area rugs and a really nice looking console table. With those last expenditures, I used up my furniture budget but I believed I got what I needed.

I tried to not think about my amazing Edward. For one, while he was amazing, he wasn't mine, so I resolutely pushed him out of my mind. I did notice that I was playing a lot of Tracy Chapman on my iPod as it sat in its dock, though. That was a sure sign that I was in a mood.

When I got home, I got out my sewing machine – something I inherited from Grandma Swan – and was quickly able to make simple curtains to cover the windows in the main room. I had enough fabric left over to cover four throw pillows. This kept me busy until dinner time and it was easy for me to shove out any thoughts of Edward and Rosalie … and Edward and Edward and Edward.

Sometime during the afternoon, I sat down on the futon and leaned over to give it a big sniff. Surprisingly, it didn't smell of ancient beer bong spills or stale sex. It smelled just like Edward – clean and fresh - was that freesia mixed in there, too? I laid there with my nose buried in the cushion and inhaled until I almost hyperventilated. Then, I got up and curled up in the huge papasan chair. It was like what I imagined Edward's arms would feel like around me.

Sighing, I turned up Tracy's _Fast Car_.

I didn't see Edward again until Monday, when the entire faculty had to report to Parma High for the first general teacher pre-planning day. Again, I got there early and was able to carry up the additional things I purchased for my room. The newly cleaned shoji screen was installed in the bathroom to give the toilet a little privacy. I hung an old shower curtain up in the shower and put a couple of the area rungs down on the floor.

I would keep my eye out for cheap posters or art to hang in there. Maybe I could co-opt a student assignment that included art work to display. I'd have to see. I was glad to finally have some music in there to listen to as well. The little CD/radio worked pretty well. I put one of the yard sale lamps on my desk and was pleased with how my room was starting to look. Just then the announcement for us  
to meet in the auditorium for our first faculty meeting was made and I grabbed a pen and my leather portfolio – Mike gave it to me for graduation – and found my way to the auditorium.

Diane was waving at me from her seat and I went to join her.

"I peeked in your room this morning. It looks great, Bella," the friendly woman said.

"Thanks. I am not quite done yet, but I know what direction I am going."

"Well, we have a week. Have you met anyone else, yet?"

"Edward Cullen has been very helpful." I couldn't help blushing.

Diane cocked her brow and smiled. "He has, has he? I am sure he loved helping a pretty little thing like you. Mmmm hmmm."

If anything I blushed more deeply. "Stop, Diane. He's just being a professional. He wants me to be able to do a good job."

"I am sure," she smiled. "He's quite a wonderful teacher as well as being easy on the eyes."

I really needed to change the subject before she could winnow out my infatuation but I was saved when a stunning strawberry blonde woman sat down on the opposite side of Diane.

"Hello, Tanya," Diane said. "Have you met Bella Swan? She's new in our department."

Tanya nodded at me and half smiled. "Hi. I am Tanya Whitehorse. What room did they assign you  
to?"

"I am in 2-204."

"2-204? Isn't that a staff room?"

Diane interjected, "It was. We need it for a classroom now. Bella's already moved in."

Tanya shot me a look. "You have? I left some stuff up there."

Oh ho! She must be the one with the x-rated supplies stored in the cabinet. This could be interesting.

Turning back to Diane, Tanya whined, "Where are we supposed to take our breaks now?"

"All of building two is supposed to use the one on the first floor."

"So if I have to pee, I have to go downstairs? That's going to be a pain in the ass."

"Not that big of a pain, Tanya. At least we don't have to leave the building."

"Well, if I have to go, I am using the one in the old break room."

I guessed it was time for me to speak up. "You are welcome to use the bathroom when I don't have a class in there."

Tanya snorted. She literally snorted. What an ass.

"Oh come on, Tanya, you can't just barge into Bella's classroom while she's teaching."

"It's better than pissing on myself," the blonde huffed.

Diane firmly replied, "Tanya stop being so difficult. I know you took up residence in that lounge for the last few years but now it is a classroom. You'll have to respect that, girlfriend."

I decided to keep my trap shut. It looked like Tanya was going to be difficult. Tanya crossed her arms and cut her eyes at me, "I'll be over to clean out that cabinet sometime this week."

"You don't have to rush. I already did it and put your belongings in boxes. I'll bring them to you when we go back to our rooms. What room is yours?"

"You cleaned it out?" her voice raised and a few people looked over at us.

"Yes," I answered quietly.

"But I had the key!" she said loudly.

"Robert, the plant manager, gave me another key."

"What a bi…!" Tanya seemed to be losing it and I was astounded at her behavior. But then I remembered the lube, lingerie and condoms I found inside the cabinet and could understand her consternation. I would have been embarrassed, too.

However before she could complete her sentence, Edward came up behind her and said, "Tanya, Diane, Bella - good to see you."

Tanya calmed right down when she saw Edward. "Hello there, handsome," she simpered and pulled down the auditorium seat next to her so that he could sit.

"How was your summer?" Edward moved to sit on the other side of me as far away as he could get from Tanya and still hold a conversation without appearing rude.

"It was great. I wished you could have found the time to come up to see me in New York. We would have had a blast."

"Oh, I couldn't get away…" Edward seemed to be distracted.

He leaned over to me and whispered, "Miss Meteor, you get settled in okay?"

I had those fluttery feelings again with him so close to me. I know I blushed again. I was going to have to start wearing matte makeup if this kept up, "I am getting there."

"Well, remember, I'm here to help you," he smiled and I couldn't respond mostly because he'd flustered me again with his nearness but also because Dr. Molina called us all to order and started the meeting.

To take my mind off of 'Mr. Amazing' sitting next to me, I took extensive notes. One of the first things Dr. Molina did was to ask the department chairs to introduce the new teachers on their staff. I really  
hated this sort of thing. I didn't like the attention. When it was my turn, Edward stood up and announced, "It's my sincere pleasure to introduce Ms Bella Swan, our new English teacher. She came to us from Washington State and will be teaching freshmen and juniors. I'm truly looking forward to getting to know her better."

Why was it that everything he said made my heart soar and my girly bits ache? There were a few hoots at the way Edward phrased his introduction and I smiled and lifted my hand in greeting hoping to get this over quickly.

I sat down as soon as I could and shot Diane a look when she said, "I told you so."

I leaned over and whispered, "He's just being nice."

She winked and whispered back, "There's nice and then there's nice."

"He's got a girlfriend."

"Nope. She broke up with him a year ago."

"But he still lives with her?"

"Lives with Tanya? No."

"Tanya?" I was shocked. He dated the bitch down the row? The one who left the condoms and lube in the cabinet? Holy Guacamole! Don't tell me that Edward was the one helping her use that shit.

I mustered enough composure to say to Diane, "No, not Tanya -Rosalie. I was over at his apartment on Saturday and she was there."

"You were… oh, honey, Rosalie is his best friend's fiancée. To save on expenses, Edward moved in with Rosalie while Emmett serves in the Army in Afghanistan. When he gets back home at the end of this school year he and Rose are getting married. Edward and Rose are like brother and sister."

Brother and sister? But Tanya was his ex?

My brain had a lot to digest. Meanwhile, my heart was doing little flippy-flops all over the inside of my chest.

Amazing flippy-flops.

* * *

**AN: What the heck is a papasan chair? It's huge and nice if you don't own any other furniture.**

**Thanks to Kris for helping with this thing. Kris helps me keep it real.**


	6. Chapter 6 Lightning

*Chapter 6*: Chapter 6: Lightning

_Florida is the lightning capital of the United States. The temperature of a single bolt can reach 50,000 degrees_  
_Fahrenheit, about five times as hot as the sun's surface; lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from the storm._

* * *

_Parma, Fl, August 16th , High 91F, Low 77 F; Barometric Pressure, 29.9 inHg; Thunderstorms_

Dodging the rain that had come in the afternoon, I stormed into my house and threw my arm load of books and papers on the table.

"SHIT!" I kicked off my shoes and, hands on hips, stared out of the window at the rain that was pouring down. It was raining so hard it seemed like a grey curtain cocooning my little refuge from the world and right now that's exactly what I wanted. What I needed.

I stomped over to my bedroom and started to strip off my clothes. The air conditioner at school had gone out that afternoon and it became blisteringly hot in my second floor classroom. Diane told me that it wasn't uncommon for that to happen as she wheeled in a fan and plugged it in so that it would blow on me as I worked. I still definitely needed a shower.

And perhaps the shower would calm me down a bit and help me to think rationally.

I stood naked in the bathroom, waiting for the water to warm up. I knew I was hot and sweaty but a cold shower wasn't my idea of fun. Soon, the water was luke warm and I stepped into the tub. I had the bathroom door closed and decided to open the window that was, for some strange reason, in the shower itself. It was high enough that no one could see me standing there starkers unless they stood right outside and looked in. It was nice to feel the water pounding on me from the shower and listening to and watching the thunderstorm outside.

Thinking of my predicament, I muttered, "Shitoly" in disgust. My emotions had ridden a roller coaster today. I spent most of the past weekend trying to beat my Tart-hood into submission thinking that Edward was definitely not single. Then I find out he is single but almost immediately figure out the beeyotch who dumped him evidently wanted him back. It was obvious from her smarmy behavior when he was near.

THEN, I realized just why the Beeyotch-Tanya had all that sexing equipment in my classroom cabinet. It was for Edward

.  
That thought made me want to hurl.

And then, there was that department meeting… uhg.

That was when I discovered the state of Florida did not consider me qualified enough to be a certified English teacher. After all my hard work these past four years, my stellar grade point average, the extra senior thesis I did – it wasn't enough. I was certified out the wazoo in Washington but not here. Evidently, there were more hoops I needed to jump through for Florida. Edward explained to us just what those hoops were: three hundred fecking hours of English as a Second Language for  
English teachers - clock hours, not credit hours, but still. THREE HUNDRED? Holy Shitoly.

Then, our school board was requiring all English teachers to also be certified or endorsed as Reading teachers as well. THAT takes another THREE HUNDRED HOURS. DOUBLE HOLY SHITOLY. Grant you, the county would pay for the costs involved but it looked like I wouldn't have much free time for two years. This was in addition to all the work being a first year teacher required. I may not even have much time for sleeping.

I stamped my bare foot and hurt myself. HOLY DOUBLE ATOMIC SHITOLY!

You'd think this was something someone would have mentioned to me somewhere along the job  
application/interview/wait-before-you-take-this-po sition-there's-something-we-need-to-tell-you-so-yo u-can-make-an-informed-decision process. What in hell was wrong with people? Really?

Eventually, I could feel my stress wash away and down the drain with the water, soap and shampoo. I stared desultorily out the window at Eleanor's jungle-like back yard and sighed. It really was a pretty view; all palm trees and philodendron vines and massive ferns. I sighed. I loved this place. It was a good thing because I had no choice but to do as the school board requested. I didn't have the money to move again.

Turning off the water, I wrapped my hair in a towel and quickly dried off. What in hell was I going to do? How in the world was I going to deal with it all? So much for beaching it during my now non-existent free time.

I pulled on a pair of old khaki shorts and a comfortable t-shirt then picked up the clothes I had strewn around my bedroom in my angry fit. Brushing out my hair, I pulled it into a pony tail and then went over to my refrigerator to see what I could manage to fix for dinner.

On the way, I put on Tracy Chapman. It was becoming my go to 'sucks to be me' music.

Looking in the fridge, I saw I had a half a dozen eggs, part of a half-gallon of milk, cheerios, some saltine crackers and that was about it. I wasn't interested in eating any of it. Pay day couldn't come soon enough.

Shutting the refrigerator door, I sighed. There was nowhere else I had stashed food. I had learned pretty early on to put all my perishable food in the refrigerator or my counters and cupboards would resemble an ant farm. It seemed the insects like the Florida climate as well as the snow birds did.

I heard a car pull into my driveway and, puzzled, I went to the front window to look out into the rain and see who it was. I wasn't expecting anyone and, really, there were only a few people who knew where I lived.

I was shocked to see Edward's car park behind my truck. My heart started pounding and the palms of my hands got clammy. Why was he here?

Pulling his hoodie over his head, he got something out of the back seat of his car and ran to my door. I opened it and said in surprise, "Edward?"

"I hope you don't mind me coming by but I don't know your number and I wanted to talk to you about the meeting. I came bearing gifts." He lifted a pizza box and a six pack of beer.

As if I would ever mind him dropping by. He could drop by 24/7 if he wanted to. I sighed. I really needed to get a grip. I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

"Well, since you brought pizza…"

He came in, shaking the rain out of his hair and smiling. The warm look in his eyes was like an embrace and I melted. I had no defenses against this man. None.

I ushered him over to the table as he looked around. I quickly stacked the books and papers I had left there earlier.

"Your place looks nice, Bella. That old futon never looked so good in my apartment." He slung a back pack off his shoulder and unzipped his hoodie.

I smiled at him thinking if he only knew about the sniff-fests I had with his old futon, he'd run away screaming. I muttered, "Thanks. Let me get out the plates."

I quickly set the table as Edward popped off the caps on two beers, "You want one?"

"Sure could use one. Thanks." I sat down at the table as Edward joined me.

He flipped the pizza box lid open and the pie's heavenly aroma enticed my senses. "Yum!"

"Giuseppe's makes the best pizza I have ever had and you need to remember, I am from Chicago, so that's saying a lot."

My mouth was watering. The large deep dish pizza was topped with gorgonzola cheese, wilted spinach, meatballs and roasted red peppers.*

"Dig in," Edward smiled and reached for a slice just as I did. Our hands accidentally touched and suddenly my latent redneckcame out as Johnny Cash started singing Ring of Fire in the back of my head. I wasn't too sure how Renée would take that. Country wasn't her thing.

I glanced at Edward's face and saw that now familiar intense look staring back at me. He pulled his hand away and softly said, "Try it, Bella. I promise, you'll like it."

Double entendre much, people?

I was really a goner here. This man… this man was turning me inside out. My womones were taking over and my normal, practical, prosaic common sense was desperately trying to wrest control back from her. However, I tried very hard not to show Edward my inner turmoil. I swallowed and grabbed a piece of the pizza and took a bite.

Holy mother of….it was orgasmic. I shut my eyes in sheer bliss, then opened them to see Edward smirking at me, "Good, huh?"

"This—this is fantastic!" I took another bite and moaned.

Edward snickered and then happily began eating his slice and we moaned together. After the initial wave of deliciousness passed, I actually heard the noises we were making and started to giggle.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Listening to us, you'd think we were having sex rather than eating pizza."

Well, that caught him unawares, that's for sure. He choked and started to laugh. Soon I was joining him. Edward paused and with a twinkle in his eye, took another bite and instead of shutting his eyes, he looked dead at me and started to chew and groan—very, very suggestively.

Between his moans and the scorching look he was giving me, my bits and pieces started tingling and I was sure my blood pressure rose ten points. Again, I did my best to disguise how he affected me and figured I would just join in. So, I started doing my best Meg Ryan When Harry Met Sally impersonation. I added my own personalized flair by taking a bite and then licking my lips as I tilted my head and looked up at him from the corner of my eyes.

He was mid beer swallow and evidently it must have gone down wrong. He started coughing and gasping for breath.

"Oh, I'm sorry Edward, did I startle you?" I jumped out of my chair and started pounding him on the back.

He coughed a few more times and then wheezed out, "S…s…something like that."

He coughed once more and then grinned, "We'd better concentrate on our dinner or it's likely that you're going to be the death of me."

It was my turn to smirk and I helped myself to another piece of pizza. "Where is Giuseppe's? I'll have to go there myself."

"It's on Route Forty-One near the hospital."

I nodded, knowing the general area. "It was very nice of you to bring this over."

"It's my pleasure, Miss Meteor." He smiled and winked again. "Besides," he added, "I couldn't eat the whole thing anyway."

"I'm going to have to leave off with two pieces, I'm afraid," I said regretfully.

"You sure? There's plenty more."

"You can take it home and have it for lunch tomorrow."

"Or, you can keep it and do the same," he offered.

"But you bought it."

"I bought it for 'us.' You are a part of 'us,' so you get to keep the left-overs."

It was delicious pizza. "You sure?"

"Positive. Here, I'll help you clean up and we can sit and have another beer. I want to talk to you about the EEL and Reading thing."

Remembering his true purpose for being here, I sighed, picked up the remaining pizza and wrapped it in plastic wrap before shoving it into the fridge.

Edward stacked the plates and put them in the sink before turning on the taps. "You wrap your pizza? Why don't you just put it in the refrigerator in the box?"

I sniffed, "Because I'm not a man."

"You think that's a man thing?"

"I know it is. My own father refuses to use saran wrap on principle."

"On principle?"

"Definitely. I bet you right now in his refrigerator back in Forks, there are at least two pans with left over baked beans crusting in the bottom of them. It's a compulsion of or something; like leaving the toilet seat up. A man thing."

Chuckling he said, "There's a good reason to keep the lid down on the toilet."

"Of course there is. It is nicer looking. But I am surprised that you, admittedly a man, would think so."

"I didn't until I took microbiology in college. My professor, a woman mind you, ruined leaving the toilet lid up forever in my mind."

I was impressed, "How did she accomplish that?"

"She explained that when you flushed the toilet, the particles inside– water and otherwise – become air born and you inhale what's in the bowl unless you put the lid down."

I was horrified, "No, way!"

"Yes, way!"

"Duuude."

Edward laughed at me.

I shook my head again. "Bill and Ted?"

"Party on, dude!"

"You realize we've quoted two ancient movies in tonight's conversation? _When Harry Met Sally_ and _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_."

"I admire your taste, Miss Meteor."

"Great minds … and all that," I said smiling back at him. Everything about him was attractive, his body and now I was learning, his mind as well.

I put the clean dishes in the dish rack to dry when Edward suggested we sit on the futon and have another beer. The sun was going down and so I turned on a couple of lamps. They cast a soft light over the room making it cozy. The rain had stopped and I could hear the nightly chorus of frogs begin.  
Edward handed me a beer as I joined him on the futon.

Reading the label, I remarked, "This is a good brew. I've never had it before. Stella Artois?"

"It's from Belgium originally but I think it goes well with pizza."

I snorted, "And there's the distinction between a college student and someone who has gainful employment."

"How so?"

"A college student would say something like, 'It was on sale; buy one get one free' not 'it pairs well with pizza.' I am not used to such discernment when selecting brews."

"It's true; paychecks spoil you for the crappier things in life. I can't say I mind being able to get quality beer, though."

I sipped the Stella appreciatively. "It's good."

Edward smiled and turned a little sideways on the futon so that his left knee was propped up on it. It almost touched my thigh. I could barely suppress a shiver at his nearness to me. His green eyes looked seriously into mine and he said, "Bella, don't worry about the courses you have to take. I came  
here from Chicago and the same thing happened to me. I had to take both classes simultaneously and I had both endorsements in about a year and a half."

"What's the difference between us and teachers who come from Florida schools?"

"The state teaching programs build EEL and Reading into their curricula. When a person graduates from a Florida school with a teaching degree in Secondary English Education, they are already set."

"Well that sucks. It's just so much to do. I feel so overwhelmed," I whined.

"Don't feel that way. We're a team in the English department. We'll all help you. As a matter of fact, I brought you something tonight in addition to dinner." He reached for his back pack he had put on the floor, unzipped it and pulled two large binders out of it.

"These are my notebooks from both courses. You are welcomed to look them over and use them as a guide. I had no trouble with either course but they were a lot of work. These should help you."

He sat both notebooks down on the end table next to him. "Keep them until you are done. I have no use for them any longer."

I was astounded by his generosity. "Th-thank you so much."

"When you start doing your demonstration lessons, I'll help with those, too. You'll need someone to video you in action. And of course, if you have any questions, you can always ask Diane as well as me. I know she'll be happy to help."

Needing something to do with my hands, I pulled the elastic out of my now dry hair and ran my fingers through it. After setting the notebooks on the table, Edward turned back to me and I swear his green eyes darkened to an even deeper green. He let out a low breath as I smiled shakily at him. Was I weirding him out?

He swallowed and stared intently into my eyes before saying, "Remember, Miss Meteor, it is my job to help you."

His job? He saw me as his job - his responsibility? My hopeful heart plummeted somewhere into the region of my feet in disappointment. I took another sip of beer and noticed that he drained his bottle at the same time. "Want another?" he asked.

"No, I have a bit to go before I done with this one."

Just then, my Tracy Chapman fest clicked off and the next artist in the queue was Eric Clapton. The strains of his _Unplugged_ album started up and Edward looked surprised, "Eric Clapton?"

I nodded, "He's one of my favorites."

"Mine, too." We started to talk about music and before I knew it, I'd finished my second beer and was on my third. We had similar tastes in music with some differences.

I kept on discovering I was getting distracted as we talked. I was distracted by the way he carelessly ran his fingers through his thick, silky hair. I was distracted by the way his long, long fingers cradled his beer bottle. I was distracted by his sweet, crooked smile. I was distracted by his full bottom lip. I  
was distracted by the way his t-shirt stretched over his bicep when his long fingers lifted that bottle to that full bottom lip. I was dazed, mesmerized, entranced - amazed.

My mother would have the most shit-eatingest "I told you so" look on her face if she knew what I was feeling now.

It was when he stuck the tip of his tongue out to lick his lips after finishing his last sip of beer that I lost it. I'd been fairly good. I hadn't sighed with longing. I hadn't moaned with desire. I didn't dive across the futon and attach myself like a vacuum cleaner to his lips. But when I saw the tip of his tongue caress that full bottom lip I breathed out a whispery, needy, desperate, "Ohhhhh, Edward."

By this time we were sitting side by side on the futon, not touching but close to it. He looked up at me and I think he stopped breathing for a moment. He was staring at my own lips and leaning…leaning closer. The semi-buzzed feeling I had convinced me that perhaps kissing him was something I needed to do.

So, I leaned in too, mesmerized by his lips, his hands, his hair – everything. My hunger for him exploded into pure, unadulterated lust. In my entire life, I never knew a person could feel so amazingly on fire this way.

His arm slipped along the back of the futon and his lips touched mine, softly, sweetly, tentatively; then, he leaned back to look into my eyes as if to ask if this was acceptable.

Not only was it acceptable, if he didn't lay a little more lovin' on me, I thought I'd explode. I simply shut my eyes and kissed him back. The moment our lips met again, I wrapped my arms around his neck and let myself drown in sensation. I was drunk, not on the beer but on Edward Cullen; the smell of him, the sound of him, the feel of him, the look of him, the taste of him. His arms closed around me as he parted his lips and I was aflame. My heart thumped loudly in my ears and I pulled him tighter to me. My lips felt the soft, moist cushion of his and they tingled – literally tingled. My every nerve was electrified.

There were no words to describe how this man, this gorgeous, wonderful and amazing man made me feel.

His lips parted and his tongue, that devilish tongue that had unknowingly teased me earlier, traced my bottom lip until I caressed it with my own. I don't know when I started moaning but pretty soon I am sure I was putting Meg Ryan to shame.

We broke apart to breathe and he started kissing and nibbling on my neck, my ears, my shoulder. I had goose bumps in places that had never dreamed of a bump or a goose.

Somehow, I ended up on his lap and he pulled my hips close. Suddenly, I could feel his hardness through his jeans and that sent me spinning out of control. My hands roamed his shoulders and down his arms across his chest and twisted into his hair. I was panting and mad for want of him.

And then my cell phone rang.

I would have just ignored it but it was on the table right next to us at its highest volume and my ringtone was some ridiculous Lady Gaga tune that I had selected when I must have been drunk. To say the least, the Lady clashed with what was happening on the futon.

"You'd better get that," Edward grunted.

Sighing, I nodded and reached over to pick it up.

Seeing who it was made me scramble off Edward's lap. I shot an embarrassed look at him as I answered the phone, "Hello, Dad?"

* * *

**AN**

**The most remembered scene from ****_When Harry Met Sally_**** was when Harry and Sally were in a NY deli and Sally was demonstrating how women fake orgasms. My favorite line? "I'll have what she's having."**


	7. Chapter 7 Tropical Depression

Chapter 7: Tropical Depression

_A group of thunderstorms that come together under the right atmospheric conditions for a long enough time, that they_  
_organize into a tropical depression. Winds near the center are constantly between 23 - 39 mph._

* * *

_Parma, Fl, August 16th , High 91F, Low 77 F; Barometric Pressure, 29.9 inHg; Thunderstorms_

"Bella, did you know that there's a tropical depression coming your way?" My dad probably listened to my local weather before he listened to his own.

"Dad, it's summer. That happens in Florida." I looked apologetically at Edward who was sitting on the futon. He looked softly back at me and even that gave me chills. I had to turn quickly away from him or else I'd never be able to speak to Charlie with any sort of focus.

"Well, have you got that flash light I gave you? Extra batteries? You got your weather radio going? Your truck gassed up?"

"Yes, Dad. Yes. I have all the batteries you gave me still in the package along with the flash light and weather radio and everything. My truck's fine."

"Bella, you can't take mother nature lightly. Remember Hurricane Katrina? Over 1800 people died in that one. I just want you to be safe."

"Dad, I am safe. I promise. Besides, there are people here looking out for me." I couldn't resist looking at Edward when I said that. He smiled at me, those delicious lips turning up so sweetly. I was giddy with the fact that I now knew how his lips tasted.

"People there, hunh? Since when?" Okay, here comes the third degree from my old man, the cop.

"Since I started my job. Parma High looks out for its people."

"Uh hunh." He didn't sound convinced. "Well, you keep aware, young lady, or I'll have to come down there and take care of things myself. Remember, the best person to take care of you, besides me, is yourself."

"Dad, I swear I am fine. Thanks for calling. I'll call you tomorrow, I promise."

Dad growled a little more and then we said our goodbyes. I looked over at Edward who had to sit through my dad's evident insanity and over protective worry session. I shrugged, "My dad. He worries."

Edward sighed and said, "He should."

I sat back down next to him wondering what exactly he thought my dad needed to worry about me. "My dad says that I need to look out for a tropical storm."

"Yes. Her name is Inez but I don't think we'll feel her brunt. She'll pass us to the south. Maybe we'll get some rain but not much in the way of winds."

"You knew about it?"

"Yeah. I watch the news as I eat my Eggos in the morning."

I cracked a smile. "You're a frozen waffle man? I had you pegged for the real thing."

He chuckled. "I prefer the real thing but am too lazy to make them. You have to admit, just popping one into the toaster beats battering up a waffle iron."

"Hmmm." I really wanted to climb back into his lap but it seemed that my dad accidently dumped a wheel barrow of ice all over that idea. Dad only did it by accident because he didn't know what Edward and I had been up to when he called. Heck, he didn't even know Edward was here. But then, my dad always had a sixth sense when it came to these things. He was always a cockblocker supreme. You'd think his power would have diminished from three thousand miles away but it seemed that wasn't the case. I assure you that had my father known about the smooch-fest that was going  
on, he would have taken great pleasure in frustrating my Adonis – and myself, as well. That's the way dad rolled.

But anyway, Edward started talking about tropical storms and hurricane preparedness and winds and storm surge and I sort of hadn't gotten over how good his lips felt on my body, so I really wasn't paying much attention to what he said.

My bad.

Edward left a little while later, saying he needed to get going. I got up to walk him out and he kept well away from me.

There was no kiss at the door. Hell, there wasn't even a handshake. Did he regret what we did? That would be really embarrassing. I only knew that if he regretted it, I most certainly would, too. Awkward.

So, I went to bed that night, once again frustrated and confused by this maddening man. Of course, I dreamed of silky hair, soft lips, shivery caresses - and hard muscles. I wanted to remember every sensation. If that was all I would ever have of Edward Cullen, I wanted it engraved upon my every synapse.

I was beginning to believe, he was going to be the death of _me._

* * *

The rest of the week was busy. I mean like pack two weeks into one busy. I found myself going into work two hours early everyday and then staying until I was so tired I couldn't see straight or my stomach was growling so much I was afraid the people down the hall would hear it.

And of course there were meetings. There were faculty meetings. There were new teacher meetings. There were district meetings. There were parent meetings. There were pre-meeting meetings and post-meeting meetings. And I learned something about meetings. You go to a meeting with twenty critical things on your to-do list that you weren't doing because you had to go to a meeting. Then, you leave the meeting with forty critical things on your to do list. I was beginning to dread being invited to "meetings."

The English department meetings were held in Edward's room. He was always friendly and professional when I saw him; helpful even. But he acted as if the fact we had a steamy make out session on my new/his old futon never occurred. I was pretty sure he regretted what we did. Must have been all the beer we drank that evening.

As we sat waiting for the department meeting to start, I looked around and decided I loved Edward's classroom. It was warm and inviting. He had a couple of cushy chairs arranged in the back that was sectioned off with two small book cases. There was a rug on the floor and the book cases were loaded with great books. I was drooling to have a classroom library like that. He had also evidently snagged up several movie posters and hung them on his walls. They weren't curriculum related but I saw right away there was a common theme.

I was surprised when I overheard Tanya teasing him about them. The woman was sort of a mystery to me. She seemed well liked among the faculty. She was always smiling and laughing with someone. While she wasn't as outgoing when I was around, she didn't exactly shun me. The boxes I had packed up for her mysteriously disappeared at the beginning of the week so I assumed that Tanya waited for me to leave my room and then snuck in there and grabbed her belongings. I was fine with that. I still needed brain bleach to remove the thought of Edward and her together. Ick.

So, before the department meeting began, Tanya said, "Why do you still have these grotty old posters up here, Edward? They have nothing to do with what you teach."

"I have my reasons," he said as he smirked at her.

"You always say that but I am calling bull shit!" Tanya claimed with a laugh.

Was she stupid? It was obvious to me why Edward had posters from movies such as "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" or "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" or even "Twilight" up on his walls.

But maybe I was missing something, so I asked, "Aren't they all movies that were novels first? I assumed you were encouraging your students to read for pleasure."

Edward grinned at me. "Why Miss Me… Swan, you figured it out." His smile was definitely more than just friendly; it was warm and thrilled and tender. I was instantly all gooey inside – again. This man - what he did to me with just a look.

Diane, who was sitting to my right, nudged me with her elbow and muttered, "See, I told ya so."

Tanya was giving me the evil eye. I hunkered down in my seat, pretending to concentrate on my notes – the ones I hadn't taken, yet. Edward cleared his throat and started the meeting so we all refocused on the business at hand. In the back of my mind I decided that I'd live off of that tender look he gave me. Contrary to our make out session, he must have meant it. After all, he hadn't been drinking when he smiled at me. It would be enough to feed my dreams a little longer.

Diane was a jewel. She was constantly giving me materials and good advice. She even invited me over to her house for dinner. Since the state of my refrigerator hadn't improved, despite the left over orgasmo pizza I was treated to earlier in the week, I took her up on it. She and her husband, Dan, and their daughter lived not too far away from the school but still several miles from the beach. Her child, Alice, was going to be a freshman this year at Parma and the teen was bouncing with the joy of it.

"Oh, Ms Swan, I hope I get you for a teacher!"

"That would be pretty great, Alice, but I don't remember seeing your name on my class lists."

"But you do have her, Bella," Diane said as she slid a slice of lasagna on my plate.

"I do? Are you sure? I don't remember an Alice Masen on my list. I would have noticed."

"That's because my name is Alice Brandon. My bio dad died a long time ago but mom decided that I needed to keep his name, even though I don't remember him. Daddy's the only father I have ever known." She smiled at her step-father.

"Your father was an honorable man, Alice, and he loved you very much," Dan said. "He would be very proud of you."

"Dan and my first husband served together in the Army," Diane explained.

I nodded, not really knowing what to say, except to turn to Alice and remark that I was looking forward to having her in class. I had a great evening at Diane's and she promised to make a routine of having meals together. First chance I got after payday, I was going to have them over for dinner. Except that I needed a few more chairs. And plates. And…maybe I could figure something else out.

While I was at work that week, I spent a lot of time with Diane while Edward kept his distance. For sure, I really must have weirded him out the night he was at my place. Was I that bad a kisser?  
We never spoke of the make out session, so I did my best to forget it but I simply couldn't. It was the last thing I thought of before I went to sleep at night and the first thing I thought of when I woke in the morning. I was beginning to worry about my sanity.

So, the remainder of the teacher's prep week plowed over me like a bull dozer. I refined my lesson plans and rethought every decision at least twice. That was totally just my nerves getting to me the knowledge that Monday was it – the students would be at school. Edward stopped in once to tell me he was impressed by the plans I had sent him and to be sure to ask if I ever needed anything. He smiled and gave me that same warm look he had given me during our department meeting earlier in the week. And, of course, I melted – again.

The only thing I needed or wanted from him was a repeat of what happened on Monday night but, of course, I didn't say that to him. Usually, I was a bit more forthright in my dealings with people. There were a couple times I walked towards his classroom when I knew he was in there to ask what was up with us. But I always changed my mind and slinked back to my room. I guessed I didn't really want him to know how much of an idiot I was to dwell on something that didn't evidently didn't mean anything to him. He probably didn't even remember it.

I was really getting pissed off at myself – and my mom. She was the one who put the idea of amazing in my brain. And of course the first guy I met after that became amazing to me. It was simply a psychological response, like Pavlov's dog and the bells.

Who knew I was so impressionable? I certainly didn't.

But the fact remained; Edward made my insides quiver with joy. Or maybe it was more primal than that. Maybe I was quivering with an out and out horn dog craving for him. I was completely out of my depth.

On Friday, I walked into Diane's room to see her standing on a chair taping a sign above her white board. It said, "Stay on Task."

"What's that?" I asked.

"We are supposed to have our rules posted in the classroom so I am putting mine up here where everyone can see it."

I read the sign again. "But it only says 'Stay on Task'."

"Yep. That's my only rule."

"Really? There's nothing about behavior, or homework, or being prepared?"

She shrugged. "All of that is off task behavior."

"But…" I was flummoxed. "Our college professors made a big production about classroom management and rules and the like. They favored reward systems."

"Who's got time for all that bullshit bookkeeping? Most college professors I know weren't even in a classroom long enough to figure out their heads from their asses so they base everything on 'research.' That's the latest kick. "Research based" this, "research based" that. If you saw the methodology of alot of that so called research, you'd pull your hair out. Most of their gimmicks are just too stupid to deal with so I do my own thing.

"On the first day of class, I tell students that I am going to treat them like adults. I explain that like all adults they have a job– to learn - and I have a job – to teach. Anything that interferes with our jobs is off task behavior and that includes my behavior as well.

"It works. When a kid misbehaves, I just say, 'You're off task,' give them the big hairy eyeball and they straighten up. If they choose not to, I start treating them like a child – I take their adult choices away from them. I assign them a seat near me, call their parents, that sort of thing. They usually make the right decision. After all, they're in high school now. They know very well how to behave in class. Why waste time going over that crap again and again. I'd much rather spend my energy on lessons than hokie bookkeeping behavioral systems. I have to say, I can't remember the last time I had to kick a kid out.*"

Wow. Unlike a lot of things that was au current in educational practices, that made perfect sense. "Do you think it will work for freshmen?"

"Why not? I teach freshmen, too. Just remember to be consistent and fair. The kids will love it." Diane always gave me a lot to think about.

I was looking over my lesson plans for the umpteenth time when Leah Clearwater popped into my room. "Bella, what are you doing this weekend?"

"Nothing much except making sure I am ready for Monday and then worrying endlessly that I am not."

She laughed, "Exactly! We need a distraction. That's why I think we should get a group together and go have some fun."

"I'd love to do that, Leah, but I am broke. I can't go out until after payday for sure."

"Well, then we'll have to do something on the cheap." She looked thoughtful for a moment and then said, "Let's go swamping!"  
"

Swamping?"

"Yeah! We could go out to my mom's and mess around on the airboat. Have you ever been in the 'glades?"

"No."

"Bella, you've just got to do it! There's nothing like the Everglades. I bet I could get a few others to go, too. We'll have a great time and it won't cost anything. Ma would be glad for the company."

"That sounds like fun. What should I bring?"

"Just bring yourself. Oh, and some mosquito repellant."

I suppose, since I am a literary kind of gal, I should point out that her last sentence was a bit of foreshadowing.

* * *

_Parma, Fl, August 21th , High 92F, Low 73 F; Barometric Pressure, 30.5 inHg; Cloudy_

We decided that Leah would come and get me early Saturday morning and drive me out to her mom's. We'd meet up with the others there. I was ready when Leah arrived and was glad that I wasn't the only teacher at Parma who drove a truck.

Her truck had the biggest tires on it that I'd ever seen. I actually had to hoist myself into the cab.

"Those are some tires," I commented as I scrambled up.

"Oh yeah. I drive this out on the reservation and you never know how high the water may be on the roads. My truck doubles as a swamp buggy to a small degree."

"A swamp buggy?" I was mystified.

"Yeah. It's hard to drive through the 'glades without stalling out when you constantly have to ditch dive. Swamp buggies are native to the Everglades. In fact, we have swamp buggy races down here several times a year. We have a track and everything." Leah was smiling as she was driving down the road. I had never heard of such a thing.

About forty-five minutes later, after leaving Parma in our dust, Leah pulled off the main highway onto a narrow dirt road. She announced, "You are no longer in the United States. You are on Miccosukee land, a completely sovereign nation with our own laws and leaders."

"Really? Who's your leader?"

"His name is Chief Billy. He and our tribal council run things here. My mother is on the council, too. She took my dad's spot when he passed."

"This is so cool. I really want to learn more about it."

Leah smiled with pleasure, "That's very nice, Bella. I will be happy to show you around and tell you what you want to know. In fact, we all would be happy to do that."

"All?"

"Yes. My family: Ma, my brother, Seth, and my cousin, Jake. You know Jake, don't you?"

"Our IT guy? Sure. He's been really helpful at school."

"Yeah. He's a genius when it comes to computers."

Leah pulled into a drive way and parked next to a chickee but this chickee was unlike the ones I had seen in town. This one had walls. In fact, despite its thatched roof and cypress beam construction, it looked like a comfortable, regular sort of home.

"Welcome to my home." Leah opened her door and hopped out and I followed her from the other side.  
The tall cypress trees were all around us and the woods were echoing with bird calls and the trickle of water. I turned slowly in a circle looking at the verdant forest around me. It was lush and green and … buggy.

I heard a curious noise. If I listened hard enough, I thought I could make out sort of a buggy, _Ride of the Valkyries_. You know, that orchestral masterpiece that they blasted from the helicopters as they were beginning their attack in _Apocalypse Now? _I am not kidding. The high pitched whines of mosquitoes revving up became louder and louder until suddenly I was engulfed by a cloud of them.

"Holy shit!" I started batting at them, slapping my arms and legs and hopping in a circle.

"Geesh, Bella. Hurry, come in the house!" Leah cried in astonishment as she headed for her mom's front door. I ran after her trying to swat the mosquitoes away at the same time. Just then, a couple of vehicles pulled into the yard. Leah pushed the door open and ushered me inside. I was still smacking the mosquitoes at the same time trying to smile at the lady who was sitting in a rocker near the fireplace.

"Wàáche, this is my friend, Bella Swan. She teaches with me."

"Welcome to Ahmoglee, Bella. It's a pleasure to have you here. I am Sue Clearwater." She looked at me with concern as I continued to slap at the insects that had managed to follow me inside.

"Did you remember to wear bug spray?" Leah asked me.

"I did. I sprayed myself with_ Off_ before you picked me up. If I sprayed any more on, they'd have to declare me a toxic waste site."

Leah shook her head in amazement, "I've never seen mosquitoes swarm someone like that. They must really like your blood."

Sue spoke as she walked towards me, "Yes. I've heard of this. It seems that Bella is a _Tha-He-Motska_. Apparently, your blood is special. It sings to them. It probably would be a good thing for you to stay inside instead of going out on the airboat."

I was disappointed but also still slapping at the pesky mosquitoes that were left from the ones who had followed me inside. I shuddered to think of what it would be like if I couldn't get away from them. The thought was rather frightening. Could they bleed me dry like so many little vampires?

Leah said, "But Ma, wouldn't the airboats' wind blow them away?"

"When it was moving, yes, but I think these critters would just bide their time until you stopped. I wouldn't do it."

The front door opened and in trooped the remainder of our gathering. I figured that Jake would be among them and I wasn't disappointed but I was surprised by the other people with him: Tanya, Rosalie and…Edward.

And of course, a flood of more mosquitoes.

* * *

**AN:**

**The Wagner Piece, ****_The Ride of the Valkyries,_**** featured in the movie ****_Apocalypse Now,_**** is a very dramatic piece, very suitable for a mosquito blitz.**

**_Ahmoglee_**** means "My home" in the Miccosukee language.**

**_Waache_**** means mother, except there are some accents over the a's that I need an alt character map for. Okay. Now I am just being lazy. Here: ****_Wàáche._**** Hah. I found another source that said Wàáche meant cow. I am going to pretend it means Mother in the kindest sense.**

**_Tha-he-Motska_**** means ****_La Tua Cantante (_****My Bella is a Mosquito Singer.) I sort of made this word up.**

**Thanks to my beta, Kris, who demonstrates forbearance and kindness on a daily basis.**


	8. Chapter 8 Thunder

Chapter 8: Thunder

_When a lightning bolt suddenly heats the air around it, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave_  
_we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 20, Low 77F, High 93F, 29.97 inHG, partly cloudy_

I squeaked and dove behind Sue as my friends unintentionally ushered in another batch of mosquitoes that, of course, headed directly towards me. I started batting away my miniscule but tenacious attackers, slapping my arms and legs and the back of my neck.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Edward's worried voice asked.

I looked up to find him standing directly in front of me and smiled weakly at him and the others knowing what an idiotic picture I presented to them. I shrugged my shoulders as I slapped away another dozen insects.

In awe, Leah said, "The mosquitoes like her. I mean… they love her. You should have seen the cloud she was engulfed in when we first got out of the truck."

Someone started to snicker and I was too afraid to look and see who was taking delight in my predicament, so I looked down at my now blotchy legs and arms and kept swatting at the little bloodsuckers. Suddenly, someone started spraying me with an aerosol. It was Edward. My hero.

"This is Deep Woods repellent with DEET," Edward was explaining as he sprayed me. "It works the best of any bug juice I've tried."

It was true, the mosquitoes seemed to disappear but I could imagine they were huddled somewhere out of sight awaiting their chance for me to let my DEET guard down so they could feast again. I shuddered. I was beginning to feel paranoid, as if the insects were out to get me.

Sue had been explaining to the others that my blood sang to the bugs and so they found me irresistible. That's rich.

"Trust me to be irresistible to invertebrates," I muttered. At least something found me irresistible.

Everyone laughed at my self-deprecating comment. I could see the various expressions on my colleague's faces. Rosalie was amused, Leah was impressed, Jake was thoughtful, Tanya looked a little spiteful, but Edward? Edward looked concerned – and intense.

Sue said, "I don't think Bella should try to go out in the 'glades, even with Deep Woods on. She can stay here with me while the rest of you go."

Jake spoke up and offered, "I'll stay with Bella."

Sue said, "No, Jacob, you'll need both airboats to seat everyone even without Bella. You and Leah will need to pilot them."

"We don't have to go out today," said Leah sounding a little regretful. "I'll just call Paul and tell him not to expect us."

Paul was Leah's long term boyfriend who was going with us. We were going to take the airboats from Sue's back yard dock and run them over to Paul's place to pick him up.

Tanya huffed, "I didn't come all the way out here just to turn around and drive back to Parma. We were looking forward to seeing a few alligators, weren't we Rosalie?"

"Well, we were but…" Rosalie began when I interrupted.

"No, no, no. I won't have your trip ruined because of the stupid mosquitoes' weird attraction for me. Please, go. I will be fine here."

Edward was studying me during this discourse and he finally spoke, "Bella are you allergic to mosquitoes?"

"N…n…not that I know of," I said uncertainly.

"It looks like your bites are reacting."

I looked down at my body and gasped as I saw large, red welts rising on my pale, white skin. Damn. I was going to be a sight on the first day of school.

Edward turned to everyone and said, "Bella needs to see to these right away. Since I drove, I will take her home. The rest of you go and have fun. Jake, you wouldn't mind taking Tanya and Rosalie home when you're done would you?"

It took Jake a long second to answer. "Sure, I can drop them off, I guess."

"Edward, we don't want to go swamping without you," Tanya whined. I noticed, even if no one else did, that just a few minutes ago Tanya had no problem going without me.

Edward chuckled, "Tanya, I suppose that everyone will just have to be disappointed."

"Paul, is waiting for us," Leah said. "If we are doing this, we need to get in the boats and head over to his place."

So, they trooped out together and I looked apologetically at Edward, "I am nothing but trouble for you."

He smirked, "Miss Meteor, you're forgetting…" and he shook his head. I know, I know. It was his self-appointed job to help me - big brother Edward. I sighed.

"I am going to pull my car right up to the front door. Wait until I get there then spray yourself again with the Deep Woods, dash out and jump in the passenger seat as fast as you can, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed.

As Edward left, I turned to Sue, "Thank you for your hospitality. I am sorry about all of this." I waved my hands around to try to indicate the entire mess.

"Oh, honey, please don't worry. In fact, it is quite amazing that you have such a power. It is to be honored."

"I wouldn't call it a power; more like a weakness."

"What some people call weakness is in fact strength." She hugged me goodbye and I could see where Leah got her generous spirit.

Edward pulled his car up to the door and beeped his horn. I sprayed myself again with the Deep Woods and ducked out of the door, practically diving into the front passenger seat. Slamming the door shut, I frantically checked for any wayward mosquitoes and was relieved to find there were none inside the car but as I looked out my window, it appeared that several had splattered themselves against the glass. It was sick.

I waved at Sue as Edward reversed out of her driveway and soon we were going down the dirt road back to hopefully mosquitoless Parma.

"I've lived in Parma for weeks. I don't understand why I didn't run into mosquitoes before today," I complained.

"You can thank the Mosquito Control District for that."

"The Mosquito Control District?"

"Yep. They fly planes and helicopters over Parma that spray mosquito larvae killer. Mosquitoes don't live in Parma because they can't. We kill off their babies. You probably don't even realize they are spraying."

"No, I never noticed."

"They don't spray out in the swamps, so that is why you got swarmed on the rez."

"They didn't swarm anyone else, though."

"No, Miss Meteor, they didn't. It's because you're sweeter than everyone else."

Cue the blush. I am sure it looked stunning against the welts left by the mosquitoes. "I am sorry I ruined your outing, Edward."

"No, actually you didn't. I have been on airboats in the swamps before and today's purpose was simply to spend time with my colleagues. Since I am with you and you are one of my colleagues, I am still doing exactly what I planned to do."

I was beginning to see that Edward was genuinely a good guy. And I still had the major hots for him - major hots. Fortunately my bites were making me feel itchy and that distracted me a bit from the other "itchy feeling" developing in my girly bits whenever I was around him.

We chatted aimlessly as he drove back to town. Edward explained that he overheard Jake suggest to Leah that they have some sort of teacher get together this weekend. Oh, so it was Jake's idea originally? Edward was around when Leah mentioned it to Rosalie so he decided to go along, as well. He wasn't quite sure how Tanya got invited. She just showed up at his apartment when it was time to go this morning.

His revelations were all very interesting but I was distracted – by him. It seemed to be his usual effect on me. I snuck looks at his hands as they shifted gears and wrapped around the steering wheel. He had long, well shaped fingers and for some odd reason, I had a sudden compulsion to suck on them. In fact, I wanted to feel those fingers and those hands wrapped around me, touching me again.

It was sick. I knew exactly how the mosquitoes felt about me. Edward was my _Tha-he-Motska._

Edward pulled into a CVS drug store parking lot and asked me to wait in the car and assured me that he'd be right back out. I wondered what he was buying that he specifically didn't want me to see. My mind went nuts as I speculated on Edward's likely pharmaceutical needs. Did he have a chronic disease that I could nurse him through? Or, did he need to buy something embarrassing? Hair dye? Hemorrhoid cream? Viagra?

Bite your tongue, Bella.

Perhaps he was getting condoms. If he was, I bet they were magnums - for a guy like Edward? Natch. I snickered out loud.

My thoughts were ridiculous but that's how my mind worked. I doubted that anyone really understood that about me; how wacky I really was. I was good at keeping it hidden. I think it was the part of Renée that I inherited. Our minds worked differently than a normal human being's. The only difference between the two of us was that she showed it to the world; I didn't. Not even Mike knew that my mind used to wander at the weirdest times. It was probably a good thing. Not every guy wants to know that his girlfriend was cataloging his o-face grimaces while they did the deed.

For the record, Mike's o-face was dopey, mouth drooping, eyes rolling back 80% of the time, and the other 20% it looked like someone had kicked him in the gut.

I wondered what Edward's o-face looked like. I bet it was beautiful.

And of course, the minute I started to speculate about that, he came out of the store with a package. He caught me redfaced.

"Miss Meteor, are you okay?"

"Oh, I am fine. Just a little itchy."

"Your face is flushed." He looked at me with concern. "We need to get you home. I bought you a few things that will help you with the itch."

Which itch? I wondered. Maybe he bought rubbers after all? I snorted at my rogue thoughts.

Edward looked at me with a puzzled expression, "Are you sure something isn't wrong?"

"Yes, I am positive. I just had a scratchy nose."

He nodded his head as though he wasn't quite sure he believed me but wasn't going to pursue it. That was just as well.

When we got to my house, Edward followed me inside. "Now, the best thing to do is to take some of these Benadryl capsules, then run as hot a bath as you can stand and dump half this box of baking soda in it. Soak in there until the water goes cool, then rinse off. After you're out, dab this Benadryl lotion directly on the bites. That should help with the itching. Does your throat feel like it's swelling? Are you having trouble breathing?"

"No."

"That's good. If you do, we'll have to get you to the ER. That would be a sign that you are going into anaphylactic shock."

Wow. That was scary.

"Thank you, Edward. I don't know how I can repay you for your kindness."

He smiled that crooked smile of his and gave me that odd intense look again and said, "I'll think of a way, Miss Meteor. Now get into the tub. I'm leaving for a bit, but I'll be back to check on you. Call me on my cell if you need anything. You still have my number?"

I nodded, "I saved the scrap of paper where you wrote your number down when we first met." I hoped he believed I kept it more for the school's office number rather than his. I didn't want him to know what a stalker I was when it came to him.

"Remember, Miss Meteor, it is my pleasure to help you." Edward smiled softly down at me.

His kindness overwhelmed me and made me emotional. I simply needed to express my gratefulness with more than words, so I hugged him and, wonder of all wonders, he hugged me back. Pulling me tightly against him, he buried his face into my hair as his hands moved tenderly over my back. I didn't feel on fire this time. My feelings were beyond that. It was as though I wouldn't be able to breathe without his arms around me.

Boys and girls, let me tell you something that is the truest truth I've ever known.

Kissing him last Monday had been amazing but I chalked that up to the beer and my hormones. But this was something else entirely; being held in Edward's arms felt like I had finally come home. It was amazing.

We stood that way for a miraculous moment. This was intense - very intense. Tears rose in my eyes from pure emotion and I knew I was feeling way too much too soon. It scared the shit out of me. At the same time, I realized I fit into Edward's embrace like I was made for it.

Sighing, he stepped back trailing his hands along my arms until they reached my own. He interlaced our fingers and smiled gently down at me. "Go take your bath, Miss Meteor. I'll be back shortly."

And he left. I took the dose of Benadryl he'd set out for me and in a fog, I half stumbled into the bathroom and started filling the tub. I dumped the baking soda in and then stripped off my clothes.

Just before stepping into the steaming tub I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror on the back of the door. Oh. My. God. I was covered with welts. They covered my arms, my legs, my neck and even my chest - everywhere that hadn't been covered by clothes. This coming Monday my students were going to think I had some sort of horrible skin condition. Oh please, oh please let Edward's treatment help. I couldn't meet my students for the first time looking like an extra from _Shaun of the Dead._

I clipped my hair up on the top of my head and then sank down into the water up to my chin and the bites instantly felt better. I lay back against the tub with my eyes shut to contemplate my inner turmoil. Edward…Edward was amazing. I could so easily fall in love with him. For sure, my body was in love with him already. Hell … my emotions were more than half way there. My common sense, however, was saying WTF?

I mean really, Edward's former relationship with Tanya was a huge, creepy question mark. First of all, what sort of person was Tanya and why would she keep sexual supplies at school? That was really bizarre. And was Edward a part of the bizarro school sexcapades with her? In my room? That thought made me sick to my stomach just thinking about it, so I tried not to. Though Diane had told me they had broken up a while ago, it was obvious to me that Tanya wanted to pick up the pieces with him again and how could he resist such a beautiful woman?

Then there was the fact that he all but sucked my face off last Monday night and then spent the rest of the week acting like he was my big brother pretending it didn't happen. But the hug he had just given me was anything but brotherly.

Maybe he was into incest?

Sick.

I was sick.

The fact remained, he ran hot. He ran cold. He was hot again. No wonder I was confused. His mood swings were giving me whiplash.

I must have been sleepy, or maybe the Benadryl put me out for a while because the next thing I knew there was a soft knock at my bathroom door.

"Bella? Are you still in there?" Edward called.

I sat up surprised that the water was now cold. "Yeah, I must have fallen asleep. I'll be out in a minute."

Pulling the plug on the tub, I arose from the bath and turned on the shower to rinse the baking-sodaed water from my skin. I quickly toweled off and then peeked out my bathroom door into my bedroom. There was no one in there and the bedroom door was shut so no mirrored peep shows were in the offing today. I hurriedly pulled on a sundress and brushed out my hair as I went into the front room.

Edward was setting the table but looked up and smiled when I came in. "I picked up some lunch."

"You have to stop spending money on me. I am feeling entirely obligated."

"Don't worry. I'll let you make it all up to me after your first payday."

"When will that be, do you know?" I was hoping it was soon because I had about ten dollars left in my account. I could always call dad for a loan if I needed to but that was the last thing I wanted to do. Dad would give me the money but then, he'd amp up the worry-warting and that so wasn't worth it. I knew it was useless to ask Renée for a loan because she'd just suggest I sell my living room furniture and there was no way I was giving up that futon.

"Next Friday."

Could I live off of two dollars a day between now and then? I'd just have to. I went over to my iPod dock and selected something that reminded me of Edward and me, Dave Matthew's _Crash Into_  
_Me_. I intentionally didn't put _Crash_ on right away, I just clicked on Dave's playlist and _Crash_ was one of the songs on it. I mean, I didn't want to be obvious, you know.

He smiled. "Dave Matthews is such a girly choice."

I shrugged, "He does something for me."

"Yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll have to remember that."

I looked up at him as I sat down at the table. What did he mean by that?

"I hope you like subs," he said.

"Sure."

"I got you a BMT with everything." He sat down across from me.

"Sounds good. Thank you." I unwrapped the sandwich. He'd bought me a foot-long sub. It was way more than I could eat at one time but again, I bet he did it so that I would have something else in my larder besides saltine crackers and cereal.

He handed me a soda, "How are your bites?"

"Much better. I was really surprised at how well the baking soda in the tub worked."

"Yeah. It's like magic."

"I will apply the Benadryl lotion after lunch."

"That should take care of it, especially if you don't scratch."

I shook my head in amazement. "What would I have done without you? You're making a habit out of saving me."

He smiled. "I don't mind a bit. In fact though, Bella, you saved me today."

"I did? How in the world did I do that?"

He sighed and said, "I need to tell you a little bit of my history before this will make sense to you."

I took a bite of my sub and nodded.

"Tanya and I used to date."

Oh, goody, just what I wanted to hear about, I thought sarcastically, but maybe it would answer some of my more pressing questions. So, I put away the snark and nodded, encouraging him to go on.

"It wasn't anything serious; we were just two friends really. I wasn't interested in anything more but evidently, she was.

When she wanted to take things further, it was a good time to make a break, especially since I didn't feel the same way she did, so we called it quits."

He paused a moment to take a bite of his sub then went on, "Actually she called it quits first. I think she may have regretted it because over the past few months she's been acting like she'd like to get back together again and that's something I definitely don't want. When she unexpectedly showed up for the trip this morning, I suspected her motives. So, you saved me by providing an excuse to get away from her, although I do regret that it was sort of an uncomfortable experience for you."

"Hmmm. How serious were you two?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how far … you know, it's not really my business, never mind."

"No really, Bella. I'll tell you. What do you want to know?"

"It's alright." I know I was blushing because I could feel the heat spreading across my cheeks and he started smiling at me.

"Tanya and I never went beyond a kiss or two. It just wasn't there for me. In fact, you and I have gone further than Tanya and I ever did."

My blinky tic was suddenly back. OICU pink elephant in the room. It took all my self-discipline not to look over at the futon where the deed took place. I know I blushed even more deeply and I may have yelped a little. It was just a small yelp.

Edward smiled tenderly and reached across the table to take my hand, "Honestly, Bella, I have never felt such a strong attraction for anyone as I have for you."

I swallowed and I hadn't even taken a bite. I just stared at him, pole axed. My hand was zinging from where we touched and my heart was flying all over the inside of my chest. "Oh?" was all I managed to say.

"Do you feel it, too?"

I looked down at my sandwich and nodded.

"But it probably isn't good timing for us."

I looked back up at him as he took his hand away. "Oh?" I said again. I was so eloquent.

He looked doubtfully at me. "Well, you're going to be more than busy. I doubt you'll have time for me."

I swallowed, "I was going to ask you to help me study."

"I'll still help you."

"I know you're busy, too. Besides teaching a full load, you're our department head and the school's soccer coach. I know they are all time consuming. Will you have time for me?"

"I'll always make time for you, Miss Meteor."

"Then, don't you think we could make time for each other together?" I asked hopefully.

He smiled warmly. "Perhaps we could."

I smiled back. "We don't have to rush. Just take it easy and enjoy the moment, you know?"

We sat there grinning at each other and finishing our sandwiches when_ Crash Into Me_ started playing on my iPod.

Edward got a calculating look in his eyes, then stood, grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my chair, "I know this is cheesy but will you dance with me?"

He was right, it was cheesy but to dance you had to hold on to each other, right? I was all for it. I put my arms around his neck. He rested his hands around my waist, pulled me close and we started swaying to the music. My head was resting in the crook of his neck and I gusted out a huge sigh at how perfect this felt. But true perfection actually came a moment later when Edward started to whisper the words in my ear as Dave sang them,

"Into your heart I'll beat again  
Sweet like candy to my soul,  
Sweet you rock,  
And sweet you roll,  
Lost for you, I'm so lost for you.  
Oh, and you come crash into me  
And I come into you  
And I come into you  
Touch your lips just so I know  
In your eyes, love, it glows so  
I'm bare-boned and crazy... for you."

When the song was over, he stopped dancing and lifted my chin so that I could look directly into his eyes. Maybe that intense look I saw there meant that he liked me? Slowly, he bent down and lightly kissed my lips.

I know the crash he was singing about was my heart.

* * *

**AN: Did you know the mosquito was the state bird of Florida? (No, it's not really. Our state bird is the Mockingbird.)**

**Thanks to Kris, my beta, and her excellent suggestions.**


	9. Chapter 9 The Green Flash

Chapter 9: The Green Flash

_Green flashes occur shortly after sunset when a streak of green light is visible, usually for no more than a second or two, when a green flash shoots up from the sunset point._

* * *

_August 20, Parma, Florida, Low 77F, High 92F, 29.97 inHg. Late afternoon showers._

The next morning, I woke up with a smile on my face and stretched my arms over my head. I lay in bed wondering why I felt so light hearted. Then I remembered. It all came back to me. Grinning like an idiot, I put my fingers to my mouth and remembered how it felt to have Edward's lips on mine and his arms cradling me as we danced. I especially remembered his words … Edward liked me!

I fist pumped, jumped out of bed wrapping my arms around my waist and twirled in dizzy circles. I felt like I could fly. He really liked me! He said he was attracted to me more than Tanya, more than anyone! He really, really liked me. I laughed out loud, mostly because I sounded like Sally Fields on Oscar night.

Yesterday after our little dance, we spent the remainder of the afternoon listening to music and talking. I was a little disappointed that we didn't have another make out session but, though Edward did put his arm around the back of the futon where we were sitting, he never initiated a more intimate exchange. I think I knew why. He wanted us to get to know each other better and I appreciated his point of view. I knew what was facing me in the coming months and being all wrapped up in each other at the same time was going to interfere with my responsibilities and perhaps his as well. We were going to take it slow and there were definitely benefits to that. I understood this logically and agreed that this was sound thinking – though I may just die of sexual frustration first.

Briefly, I wondered if I could get him drunk one night and convince him to change his mind.

No. There are probably several laws against that. Drat.

I looked outside and saw it was sunny but I knew to expect showers later this afternoon. I needed to get outside and do my yard work for Eleanor before it got too hot or too wet. I hurriedly got dressed, ate a bowl of Cheerios all the while grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Not forgetting to coat myself with sun screen, I plugged my iPod in my ears –Dave Matthews was going to be the featured artist today - and went out to the yard to get my five hours per week in that my rent required.

After I plucked the flock of plastic flamingoes from the yard, herded the plaster deer and garden gnomes together and stacked them all on the porch, I started the mower. It was a chore that didn't take much thought so I mused about Edward and yesterday's conversation. I told him about growing up in Phoenix and Forks, my crazy mom and my stoic dad, about going to UDub and I may have mentioned Mike - after all, he told me about Tanya.

He revealed that he also was an only child and that his parents still lived in Chicago where he was born and raised. His father was a surgeon and his mother was an interior designer and as a family, they were quite close. He had gone to parochial schools and then to DePaul University where he graduated with honors. He loved soccer and played for DePaul while he was in school. He was quick-witted and quirky, quirky-good, not quirky-weirdo, like I was. I loved his sense of humor and I think I laughed more in those few hours than I had since I moved to Parma.

Those were the basics and they were fine but what really thrilled me was discovering that his laugh did something tickly to my solar plexus, his smile automatically made me smile back and his brain made mine figuratively rub its little lobes together in glee.

He had soccer conditioning for the team at four and so I walked him to my door and once again thanked him for his knight in shining armor routine.

He took my hands in his as he said, "Miss Meteor, there's nothing I'd rather do and no one I'd rather do it for."

Did he say 'do it for' or 'do it to'?

He leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on my lips. When he lifted his head, I reached up to pull him back and I did my best to give him a kiss he'd feel clear down to his toes - to hell with this chaste business. I wanted to make sure he knew without a doubt that I'd rather do it for him, to him, and with him.  
When I let him go he looked back at me, a fire in his eyes, his heart pounding away and he whispered, "Miss Meteor…" in a husky voice.

I grinned naughtily back and whispered back in return, "I had a lovely day with you. See you soon, Edward."  
He looked a little dazed as he left me, climbing into his car with a smile on his lips. He stared at me almost hungrily as he lifted his hand in farewell before backing out of my driveway. I hope I gave him something to think about.

It certainly gave me something to think about. I sighed, remembering the sparks and fire and flames shooting from my lips straight down to girly-town as we kissed. When I went to bed that night, I was frustrated to discover that the batteries were dead in Mr. Happy. And of course, the batteries Charlie gave me for my flashlight/radio/mayday warning claxon weren't the right size. Trust that to be the case. I supposed Charlie's definition of emergency and mine were a little different.

My dreams were sweet last night, though I couldn't remember exactly what they were about except that Edward figured predominantly in them.

My mosquito bites weren't welted anymore, thanks to Edward's care. There were several red spots dotting my skin but I was relieved when I realized the outfit I planned to wear on the first day of school would cover most of them. Thank God for small blessings.

I finished mowing, dumped the tenth bag of clippings in the yard waste receptacle and pushed the mower back into the shed. Standing over the pile of lawn ornaments I had uprooted before mowing, I vainly tried to remember where Eleanor originally had them.

"Hello, Ducks!" I heard her cheery voice call to me.

I turned to see my landlady standing at her kitchen door holding a glass of iced tea up for me. "Come and take a break!"

"Thanks, Eleanor," I happily said as I walked over to take the glass.

Eleanor surveyed her neatly mown lawn. "Looks good, sweetie."

"Thanks. I was just trying to remember how to put the flamingoes and such back where you had them."

"Oh, don't worry about the precise places. Just make them look natural," she shrugged.

The possibility of making a flock of plastic pink birds look natural seemed ludicrous but, then, I believed I was up for the challenge. It was the very thing that appealed to my crazy brain. I was pondering the possibility of getting my hands on a little plastic wading pool to arrange the pink birds around. Flamingoes were water birds after all.

I was nudged out of my reverie by Eleanor's voice, "Oh, Bella, I happened to notice Edward Cullen was over here yesterday."

I tried very hard not to blush. I don't think I was successful, "Er… yes, he was here."

"Actually, I saw him leave," she went on.

Oh, geesh. Did she see me lay that kiss on him?

"I guess he's not dating Tanya anymore," she grinned.

"Oh, er...no."

Eleanor chuckled, "Good. I always liked that boy. Tanya is sort of a prima donna. He deserved better."

"But you said you believed they were made for each other," I said, confused.

"Well, honey, I'll be blunt. Edward Cullen is made for everybody. He's got that certain charisma that draws girls like a bear to a honey pot, so I meant it when I said that he was made for Tanya. Now, I never thought Tanya was made for him but you don't tell a fella that his girl-friend is a skank-whore, do you? That wouldn't be polite."

I about choked on my tea. Skank-whore?

"Am I too harsh?" Eleanor asked uncertainly.

I just looked at her. What could you say to that?

"I guess you wouldn't know but Tanya is rather over-friendly with anything with three legs."

I snickered but still couldn't figure out how to respond to the old lady.

"It's a wonder she hasn't been carried off by some sort of venereal disease by now."

This time I did choke and sprayed iced tea from my nose and mouth in the process, fortunately away from Eleanor. When I could get my breath, I cried, "Eleanor, I have to work with that woman!"

"Lucky you." It seemed that my landlady could be sarcastic, too.

I just shook my head and grinned. We started to discuss my suggestion for the flamingo-pond yardscape which Eleanor immediately became enamored about. We spent the rest of my five hour yard duty making a trip to Home Depot to buy a plastic pond and some plants to use with it. Thankfully, I was successful in convincing Eleanor not to buy any more flamingoes while we were there. The pond was easy to install as the soil was sandy and easy to dig in, so by the early afternoon I had it set up, complete with an aerator to keep the water fresh, and the flock of plastic birds and new plants arranged artfully around it. The plaster deer looked on in amazement from the shade of a palm tree and the gnomes were peeking out from the hedges wondering just how this was going to end. I wasn't quite sure myself. It looked like a Disney cartoon.

Feeling like I had done well by my delighted landlady, I spent the rest of my day doing laundry, reviewing my lesson plans for the hundredth time, and trying not to obsess about my department head. Leah called me later in the afternoon to see how I was getting along and if I was suffering any ill effects from my mosquito ambush.

"Yeah, girl, I've never seen anything like that!"

"Me neither. The Washington mosquitoes don't seem to like me as much as the Florida mosquitoes do."

"My mom was very impressed. She's old school Seminole – very spiritual and connected to the earth. She said that any time you want to come visit, she'd love to have you."

"That's very sweet of her but I am not sure I'd want to brave the bugs anytime soon."

"Well, maybe you can meet up with her in town sometime."

"That would be very nice. I'd like that, too. How was the rest of your day?" I was curious to see how the skank-whore did without Edward at her side.

"We all had a good time except for Tanya. I don't know why she even bothered to come. She seemed to be totally unimpressed with anything out there."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She whined the whole time. We even cut our cruise short because of her. When Jake took Rosalie and her back to Parma, he said she threw a bitch fit when Edward wasn't home."

"Really? Why?"

"Evidently, she had something she wanted to talk to him about."

I shrugged, inwardly pleased to know that he was with me at that time.

"Ah, Bella… do you know where he was?"

"Uhm… why do you want to know?"

"Just something Mom said later when I got back from the trip."

"Really? What was that?"

"She said that it was obvious to her that the two of you had something going on."

"We don't have anything going on except that we work together and like each other."

"Like-like each other or just like each other?"

"It's too early to tell." I wasn't going to go into detail. It was too new for me to put a label on what Edward and I were doing.

"Well, according to my mom there's certainly some chemistry between the two of you. Mom was acting like it was a done deal."

"I should introduce your mom to mine one day. I bet they'd love each other."

Leah laughed and we started talking about school starting the next day and how nervous we were. After we hung up, I grimaced. I didn't want my "friendship" with Edward to be gossip fodder. That would just make me more stressed but it seemed it may be unavoidable.

The rain came in the late afternoon, which was good for the new plants I'd planted but it had cleared up after dinner and I decided to go to the beach for a mind clearing walk and watch the sunset.

Every time I set foot upon the beach, I realized how lucky I was to be here. I had never seen anything as lovely, the blue sky, the palm lined sandy beach and the warm water lapping at the shore. I sat down in the sand just soaking up my surroundings when my text message alert beeped. I looked at my phone. It was from Edward.

_Where are you?_

_At the beach, getting ready to watch the sunset._

_Want some company?_

My heart started pounding. Would I want Edward's glorious company watching the beauty of the sunset in this little paradise? That was a dumb question. I couldn't text quick enough.

_I'd be delighted. I'm on the beach where we met last week._

_Great! Be right there._

I spent the next ten minutes trying to smooth my hair and regretting that I didn't put any make up on when I saw Edward climbing down the wooden beach access carrying a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses. His smile went straight to my heart. Literally it felt like it flipped in my chest. Smiling back, I stood up and brushed the sand off my shorts. I was so very happy to see him again.

"I brought something to share while we watched."

I took the glasses from him as he uncorked the bottle and poured. Sitting back down on the beach, he turned to me and said, "Cheers."

I tapped my plastic glass against his and said, "To friends on the beach."

Edward had the softest eyes when he looked at me sometimes. His every expression seemed to resonate somewhere inside of me.

We sipped our wine. It was smooth and sweet but not too sweet, sort of like Edward.

"So, my Miss Meteor, what did you do today?"

"As a part of my rent, I have to take care of Eleanor's yard. We decided to put a flamingo wading pond in the front yard, so that's what I did."

"Wow. That sounds like a lot of work."

"Not too much. We went to Home Depot and the fellow there explained how to do it. It was easy. The hardest part was digging the hole to put the liner in but that was a snap with the sandy soil. Now our flamingoes are tastefully arranged around their watering hole with a sundry of gnomes and woodland creatures looking on in appreciation."

Edward laughed, "Eleanor's a trip."

"She certainly is. Oh, by the way, she saw you leaving my house yesterday."

His eyes darkened a bit, "Did she?"

"Yes. She then told me she guessed you and Tanya weren't dating anymore."

He nodded. "Since she's retired, she probably didn't realize how long ago it was when we broke up. I guess she saw us kiss goodbye, then."

I looked down and drew circles in the sand. "She did."

"Does that bother you?"

"Not really. I don't like other people to be in my business but I guess that's just the price one has to pay for being new in town. Does it bother you?"

He grinned. "Not at all if the result is I get to spend time with you."

I blushed and chuckled, glad he felt like I did.

"What did you do today?"

"After mass, I went over to school and put the finishing touches on my plans. Then I worked out with my soccer team, came home, ate dinner and thought maybe I could visit with you."

I smiled very happy he decided to come to see me but I had a question. "After mass?" That was unexpected.

It was his turn to draw circles in the sand, "Sixteen years of attending religious schools have left their mark on me, I guess. I find it is a good way for me to keep focused on the important things."

Wow. I'd never met a person like Edward before. This was new and different and I didn't know what to expect. It sort of excited me.

"Maybe that's what helps you to be such a good man, Edward."

His green eyes met mine, as if he wasn't sure I meant it.

He said hesitatingly, "I am sort of old fashioned. Most women seem to think I'm boring."

"I don't, not at all. In fact, I think you're fascinating."

"Good." He was grinning again.

I grinned back at him then took another sip of my wine. The sun was almost to the horizon and the sky was deepening from blue to purple and lavender with orange and red and yellow on the horizon. It literally took my breath away, it was so beautiful.

"Have you ever heard of the 'green flash?'" Edward asked.

"No."

"It has to do with white light and refractive nature of the atmosphere. Under certain conditions when the sun sets, the atmosphere acts like a prism and you can see every color in the spectrum but green, except at the very end. Just before the sun sinks below the horizon, there will be a brief glimmer of green along the horizon."

"That's pretty cool." I looked at the lovely canvas of colors displayed in front of me, "I can already see every color but green; red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet."

He shifted closer and put his arm around me as we sat side by side. The gentle waves soughing along the shore provided a soft music to our rendezvous. "Perhaps if we try, we'll see the green flash together," he softly said into my ear.

My whole body tingled with his nearness as my eyes absorbed the splendor of the skies that seemed to encircle us. Edward's soft words gave me goose bumps and I settled back against him, completely loving every bit of this moment. It felt so good, so right. I was not going to use Renée's "A-word" anymore because I was still blaming all my inner turmoil on her suggestion last month but at this moment, I was filled with a delightful, peaceful serenity and happiness.

"Do you ever listen to Kate Bush?" I asked.

"I've heard a few of her things."

"She has one called _Sunset_. I'll have to play it for you one day. This reminds me of some of the lyrics, 'Every _sleepy light/Must say goodbye/To the day before it dies/In a sea of honey/A sky of honey/Keep us close to your heart/So if the skies stay dark/We may live on/in Comets and stars._'"

Edward didn't comment, he just sighed and pulled me closer to him. I looked up to find him, not looking at the sunset, but looking at me. It was the same intense look I'd noticed from the first and I now knew it meant that he liked me. My lips turned up in response. I wanted him to know that I liked him, too.  
"Oh, my Miss Meteor…" he sighed and leaned closer.

I lifted my head, so that our lips could easily meet. At first his kiss was sweet and tender but as soon as he parted his lips it quickly deepened into fiery passion. Every follicle of my hair, every pore of my skin felt his kiss, as though they were branded with his imprint. My fingers wove through his hair and my heart pounded with intense emotion. Which emotion, I wasn't sure but it felt - there was no other word for it – amazing.

We parted and gazed deeply into each other's eyes. He traced the side of my face and tucked a wayward curl behind my ear, his gentle expression saying more than words could. There was a palpable connection between us and I knew he felt it as I did. Wrapping his arms around me he pulled me tightly into his embrace and I nestled under his chin wanting to enjoy this as long as I could.

His fingers traced slowly up and down my back and I felt his breath against my cheek. "Miss Meteor, we've missed the green flash." The sun indeed had set though the deep blues, purples and lavenders were still painted vibrantly across the sky where the sun had dipped down into the gulf.

Sighing, I leaned back to look up at him and smiled, "I didn't miss a thing, Edward."


	10. Chapter 10 Leeward

Chapter 10: Leeward

_Leeward is on the side or facing the direction toward which the_  
_wind is blowing._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 23th. High: 84F Low: 75 F Barometric Pressure 29.9 inHg*, Thunderstorms_

Edward and I walked hand in hand up the darkened beach to the wooden stairs that led to where he had parked his car. It was twilight now, the sky deepening to dark blue interspersed with glittery stars, like the stars Kate Bush sang about. We weren't saying much, just grinning dopily at everything and occasionally at each other. I didn't think my feet touched the ground from bliss.

The hazy glow of street lights shed their light over the empty street and nearby houses and trees making things seem dream-like and magical. The velvety night air caressed my skin that craved more of Edward's touch. It seemed as though we were in our own mystical world. His Volvo was parked alone in the turn around. Before Edward opened my door, he pressed me against the car.

"I'd rather do this without an audience," he said as he lowered his lips to mine once more. His kisses were fiery-sweet like the red-hot candies I used to scarf down when I was a kid and I felt them in my bones. I enjoyed his kiss so much, it wasn't until he had opened the door to let me slip into the car did I wonder what he meant.

I turned to him as he started the car and asked, "You don't want an audience for what? "

"If I know Mrs. Cope at all, she'll have her eye glued to the back window when she hears me pull into your driveway," he said as he drove down the street.

I laughed. He was probably right about that. "You could always come in. I doubt she can see through walls." There was the hope of more in my offer.

He smiled at me as he down shifted to pull into my driveway. "That's true and also very tempting, Miss Meteor, but I'd better not."

I was surprised at how disappointed I was, "Really? Why?"

"Tomorrow is a big day and I don't want to interfere with your rest."

I sighed. He was probably right. Besides, I hadn't shaved.

Ever the gentleman, he hopped out of the car to open my door and walk me to my porch step. Lifting both of my hands, he said, "Good night, Bella. Sleep well. I will see you tomorrow."  
Placing kisses on the knuckles of each of my hands, he saw me into the house and then left. As I watched him pull out of the drive, I saw Eleanor's kitchen window curtain twitch back into place and I giggled. Edward and I will not have any secrets around here, it seemed.

The next morning, I drove into the school parking lot my nerves were a jumble as the bee hive known as a school campus in session swarmed around me. I was early but I saw Edward's car was already there. That made me giddy. I hope my budding feelings for him didn't distract me from work but I did note that those feelings also made me smile.

I stopped by the teacher's work room to drop off my lunch in the community refrigerator. I had scraped together enough change to buy a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread. Unfortunately, that was going to be the extent of my lunches for the week due to my budgetary constraints. It was a good thing I liked peanut butter and with a small carton of milk I'd buy from the lunch ladies this afternoon, I felt pretty satisfied with my low-budget meal planning.

The first person I saw as I entered the work room was Tanya. She was leaning against the counter, eating a yogurt.

I was determined to be polite. "Good morning, Tanya."

"Well, if it isn't Ms Mosquito-singer," she cackled. Well, she didn't exactly cackle but I figured a cackle suited her skank-whore personality. I was beginning to appreciate the term "skank-whore" as it applied to her. Eleanor was so right.

I shoved my lunch bag into the fridge and smirked. I wasn't going to justify her comment with a response but I nodded pleasantly and left as quickly as I could. The woman gave me the creeps.  
When I got to my room, I unlocked the door, switched on the lights, and took a deep calming breath, trying to get a grip on my nervous tension. Something on my desk caught my eye: a cup of Starbucks coffee. Gasping in wonder, I walked over and saw a stack of sugar packets and a few creamers piled next to the cup of heaven. Perfect!

There was also a note.

_I wasn't sure how you take your coffee. Good luck on your first day. - E_

Oh, my god. This man just slays me. I was tempted to run next door and kiss the crap out of him but one, that wouldn't be appropriate and two, I didn't have time. The warning bell rang and I needed to get myself organized. I added some sugar and creamer to the coffee and smiled as I thought about my benefactor. He was just too good to be true. And that first sip of pure heaven was just what I  
needed.

After I had everything set up, I had to report to the hallway to help direct lost students to their destinations. I only hoped I knew where their destinations were myself.

Chattering students were already filing down the hallway looking for room numbers and old friends. I stood next to my doorway, smiling as I tried to project maturity and competency. I hoped my nerves weren't showing.

A few students stopped to check the room number and then looking shyly at me, walked into my classroom. My first students had arrived.

"Good morning, Ms Swan."

I didn't have to turn around to know it was Edward. My heart told me by the curious flippy thing it did anytime he was around. Smiling, I turned to him and almost lost my breath at the sight. He was wearing dark grey trousers with a white oxford shirt and dark tie. His hair had been tamed somewhat and his usual scruff was gone. His square jaw alone should be declared a national treasure. In a word, he looked sumptuous.

I could barely contain myself but I managed to respond in a breathy voice, "Good morning, Mr. Cullen… and thank you."

"You are most certainly welcome." His grin was irresistible.

I grinned back, hoping it wasn't too obvious to anyone who might be watching how completely owned I was by him. The soft look in his eyes as he gazed at me felt like something I could take a bath in – warm, delightful, dreamy. We had a little moment there, in the hallway surrounded by students. I could feel the color rise in my cheeks and I sighed.

"MISTER CULLEN!" a shrill shriek split the air and my eardrums. Oi, some girls and their mouths.

"Ah, Lauren, how was your summer?" Edward smiled in an avuncular manner at a pretty blonde who rushed up to him, hugging a notebook to her chest.

"It was loooong, Mr. Cullen. I missed y—school so much."

My lips twitched in amusement. It seemed Mr. Cullen had a fan.

"Well, then I'm sure you are happy to be back."

"Do I have you for English?"

"I don't think so, I'm teaching only seniors this year."

"Oh, no fair! Is there any way I can change it?"

Edward shook his head. "I'm sorry but English III is a pre-requisite for everything I am teaching now."

The girl actually stuck her bottom lip out and pouted. She reminded me of Jessica Simpson on a bad day. I was deeply amused. If she started flaring her nostrils and stamping her feet, I knew I was going to lose it.

"Let me see your schedule, Lauren," Edward asked.

She obligingly handed it to him and he read down the list. "Ah, you have Ms Swan. Let me introduce her to you."

Edward turned to me and extended his hand. "Lauren Mallory, meet your English III teacher, Ms Swan."

I smiled and said, "Hello, Lauren." But Lauren would have no part of that. She glared at me and then went back to begging Edward to be let into his class.

"But, Mr. Cullen, you've been my English teacher since ninth grade. I can't have another teacher!" she wailed. Oh, she was going to be a joy to have in class.

Edward shook his head and shrugged. "I don't think it is in the cards for you this year, Lauren. You'll do well in English III with Ms Swan."

I was shocked when the girl got teary-eyed and cried, "I am going to talk to my guidance counselor!" and stormed back down the hall.

We watched her go in stunned silence. Edward put his hand on my arm and said, "She's used to having her way. Mark her absent if she's not back before the bell." Smiling again as he gazed into my eyes, he turned and went back to his room.

The class bell rang, so I took a deep, cleansing breath and walked into my own classroom. I stood in the front of my students for the first time and said, "Good morning, students. I am Ms Swan."

The morning sped by. My students were cooperative and willing, but I knew this was a honeymoon of sorts. The real challenges would occur when we settled in a bit. It seemed as though I had been running at full steam every second since that first bell rang and I hoped my stamina would last. When the bell rang for lunch, I was so relieved. I hadn't eaten much breakfast due to excitement and the thought of a peanut butter sandwich right now hit the spot.

I locked my room and went downstairs with a dollar, intending to buy a carton of milk from the lunch lady who was at her stand in the courtyard. She was really sweet, selling me a carton of milk for much less than I thought it would cost. I later found out she charged me the cheaper price because she thought I was a student. Go figure.

Carrying the carton, I went into the teacher's work room where I'd stashed my sandwich this morning but when I opened up the refrigerator, my lunch bag wasn't there.

I looked again, moving some things around, thinking it may have been hidden by something else but there was no lunch bag with my name on it. I shut the door, feeling very shaky. Besides being starved, I was wondering who in hell would take my sandwich?

That skank-whore, Tanya. I bet she did it. She saw me put it in there before school. What a bitch.  
I looked around the room at my colleagues. They were busy eating their own lunches chattering away like I wasn't even there. No one was eating my sandwich, either. Tanya wasn't there. Neither was Edward or Diane.

I walked over to the garbage can and wasn't surprised to see my lunch bag in there, crumpled up and empty. Mother effing bitch. She probably didn't realize how desperate I was from a money perspective and probably believed it was just a rotten prank. Honestly, I had planned my menu for the week by each slice of bread and scoop of peanut butter. Going without lunch today was going to suck.

My stomach roared and I was feeling light-headed so I decided to retreat to my room. I had lunch duty in about twenty minutes but at least I could drink my milk in peace. I was willing tears down as I climbed the stairs to my room. It was stupid to cry over a stupid sandwich but it must between my nerves, my hunger, and the figurative 'fuck you' stealing my lunch added up to, I just couldn't help it. I gritted my teeth and walked quickly down the hall to my room and let myself in.

At least in my room, when I cried no one would see.

My lunch duty station was in the bus loop. Fortunately, there was a bench in the shade where I could sit, so I settled myself and watched for escapees. No students were allowed in this area, so my time there was quiet. The milk had helped my hunger a little but the heat and the brightness of the sun was making me feel a little nauseous. Fortunately, my planning period was immediately following lunch and before my last two classes of the day. Maybe my stomach would settle down in the meantime.

Finally, the bell rang and I waited for the students to return to their classes. I went by the front office and picked up the Xeroxed copies of the handouts I was going to use tomorrow when I ran into Diane.

"Hi, Bella! How's your first day been so far?"

"Just fine, Diane. I can't believe how fast the day has gone."

"You'll keep busy, that's for sure. Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"There probably is but I am too brain dead right now to think of what," I laughed weakly.

"Honey, if you need anything – and I mean anything – you come on over to my room, okay?"

"Thanks, Diane. You're the best." I smiled gratefully at her. I thought about mentioning my stolen lunch but I decided just to keep it to myself. Upon reflection, it could have been a prank they play on the newbie, nothing personal.

Diane and I walked back to our building together and parted ways at her door. When I got in my room, I sat down at my desk and I went over the plans for my fourth ninth grade class and second junior class to finish the day. Alice was in this next class and I was looking forward to seeing her again.

I had a few minutes, so I started marking the papers I had collected earlier in the day. I had given my students a little in class writing assignment asking them to introduce themselves to me. I had read some historic introductory letters to them– some were really funny – and we discussed which letters would be taken the most seriously due to better grammar and phrasing.

I had been looking forward to meeting my students this way; however, I was astonished at how poor some of my students' writing abilities were. The spread in ability in my classes was amazing, and not the Renée Dwyer kind of amazing, either. Teaching these classes was going to be a challenge.

My planning period ended and I stood at the door to welcome my next class. Ninth graders are pretty interesting. The girls looked like they should be in college; the boys looked like they still should be back in middle school - and they acted like it, too. It was a testament that girls matured faster than boys did.

Alice bounced in, happy with the world, and took a seat near the front of the room.

"Hi, Ms Swan!"

"Hi, Alice. How's your day going?"

"Wonderful! I'm having so much fun." Her smile just about split her face in two.

"That's great to hear."

The tardy bell rang then, so I started class. Since this was the fourth time I taught this lesson today, I felt I had it down pat but you can never predict how a particular class could lead the discussion down a different path. Again, the period flew by and I was collecting the papers as class ended. As I walked by one of my young men, who was apparently eager to get to his next class, bumped into me and knocked the pile of papers out of my hands and they flew everywhere.

"Oh, Ms Swan, I'm so sorry," he apologized, red faced.

"No problem. It was an accident," I reassured him. We both stooped down to pick up the papers from the floor.

"Let me help," said Alice as she handed me several sheets she'd scooped up on her own.

"Thanks," I said and reached out for them just as someone walked in the door. Alice stood there, frozen, mouth hanging open as she stared behind me. I turned to look to see what she was looking at and almost gaped myself. He was a gorgeous boy, not as gorgeous as Edward but close. He was tall and lean with untidy blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. His features were perfect and he walked with a slouch that proclaimed his ease in his own skin.

As he neared me and the statue-like Alice, he smiled an engaging smile, held out his hand and said, "Hi, I'm Jasper Whitlock, Ms Swan. I'm in your next class."

Surprised, since I'd never had a student offer to shake my hand before, I therefore probably didn't impress him with my limp wristed welcome. "A pleasure to meet you," I said, which was also lame. How could a sixteen year old kid make me flustered like this? Definitely weird and so not the tone I wanted to set.

I womanned up and said, "Just take a seat anywhere, Jasper, I'll be right with you." I nudged Alice with my elbow to snap her out of her stupor and she dazedly handed me the rest of the papers she was holding.

"I'd better be going," she mumbled. I nodded, took the rest of the scattered papers from the young man who had knocked them out of my hands in the first place, and piled them on my desk. Alice couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Jasper as she dawdled her way from the room. I'd say she was definitely smitten. Unfortunately for her, Jasper didn't seem to notice her one bit. I bet Diane would be relieved to know that.

The remainder of the day swept by and soon, the final bell rang and the students gathered their things to catch their busses home. I stood at my doorway to watch the halls empty. I hadn't seen Edward since this morning. He wasn't standing at his door but I knew he had his planning period at the end of the day, so he probably was busy elsewhere.

My stomach growled again and I frowned. If Tanya did take my lunch, she was going to get her come-uppance one way or another. I looked down the hallway towards her room and was surprised to see her standing there in what appeared to be an intense conversation with Edward. Frissons of jealousy clawed at my gut as I watched them merrily converse, or at least Tanya looked merry. All I could see of Edward was his back.

I humphed to myself and went back into my room, determined to get all my marking done before I went home. I still didn't know what to think about the lunch incident but I definitely was going to keep my lunch locked up in my cabinet from now on. It was a good thing that peanut butter didn't spoil. A mini-fridge in my room seemed to be the way to go but that was an expense I hadn't planned upon. Crap.

A few minutes later, Edward knocked on my door. I didn't know why he didn't unlock it himself as all of our keys worked on all the doors on this hall. I got up to let him in. "Hi, Edward. How was your day?"

"Interesting. I'm looking forward to this year."

Nodding, I said, "I have some characters but they all seemed fine. I kept them busy."

"Good plan," he said. I sat back down at my desk and he leaned against it as he stood next to me.

"Bella, I have a favor to ask."

"Sure, Edward. I'd do anything for you if I could. What do you need?" I realized how over- eager I sounded about two seconds after I said it. Whoops. I am sure I blushed.

He grinned and said, "It's not a huge thing. I was just wondering if I could use your bathroom after school to change into my coaching kit. It would save me some time."

"Of course, Edward, of course. No problem. Have at it." Again with the over-eagerness. What was wrong with me? I was the opposite of suave. Just then, my stomach decided to bellow its empty dissatisfaction and I put my hands over it in embarrassment.

"Didn't you eat today?" He asked, a little worry line formed between his eyebrows as he looked at me.

"I had some milk."

"That's all?" He asked in disbelief.

I really started to blush then and I said quietly, casting my eyes down, "Yes."

"Bella…," he sounded truly anguished, which surprised me.

I looked up and was astonished to see how distressed hw looked. "Bella, you shouldn't go without eating."

"I didn't mean to but I lost my lunch."

"You threw up?"

I snorted. "No, I lost my lunch or rather, I put it in the refrigerator downstairs in the teacher's work room this morning and when I went to get it at lunch time, it was gone."

"What! Someone stole your lunch? That's ridiculous."

"I thought so, too. I found the empty bag in the trash can, so all I had for lunch was a carton of milk I bought from the lunch lady."

"Maybe someone thought it was their lunch?"

"Maybe, if their name was Bella Swan. I'd written my name on the bag."

"I've never known of something like that happening," he shook his head.

"I was thinking that perhaps they did this to all the newbies."

"No, never. That sort of hazing has no place in this school, neither among the students nor the faculty."

My stomach growled again.

Edward reached down and put his hand on my shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

"Edward, I'm always relying on you for – for everything, it seems. I just couldn't bear to ask you for one more thing. I wouldn't."

"Bella, you never ask me for anything. Whatever I have done, I did on my own. It makes me happy to help you."

My blush had probably spread over my cheeks, down my neck, and was now turning my boobs the color of candy apples.

Fortunately, he couldn't see those. "Thank you but I just couldn't. You are way too kind to me as it is."

"Too kind? My Miss Meteor, it's not out of kindness that I want to do things for you. I do them because I care about you."

I believe it was right there that I stopped breathing. For sure, my heart quit for a second or two, and then it started pounding away like a sailor on two dollar hooker night. He reached down and took my hand, "Have dinner with me tonight, Bella. Let me spend time with you this evening."

Okay. It was definitely time to get out the Magic Shave. Momma was going to get some tonight!  
Or, so I hoped.

* * *

**AN: I forgot that some of you wouldn't be familiar with a few things mentioned in the last chapter. First, Home Depot is a huge national hardware store. You can buy anything for the home there, from gardening supplies and plants to appliances and paint. For the record, I hate going there unless I have something very specific to purchase.**

**A warning bell is used at the beginning of the day to let students (and staff) know that they need to start moving towards the classrooms as class was going to start in a few minutes. Parma High's warning bell gave students five minutes before they'd be tardy.**

**In the US, school guidance counselors do listen to students and offer advice as their title implies but from what I can tell, they are mostly responsible to make sure their assigned students take and pass the appropriate classes and other requirements necessary to graduate. You'd be surprised how difficult a job that is. **

**Lauren is not going to be able to convince her guidance counselor to move her into Edward's class simply because she hasn't had a prerequisite class. There's nothing anyone can do about that.**

**The ubiquitous cafeteria workers are, by and large, motherly women who populate every school in the nation and are lovingly referred to as "Lunch Ladies."**

**Magic Shave is a depilatory that works on the private parts, supposedly without any disgusting side effects, like melting skin and ugly rashes.**

**And I know some of you are going to say what is up with Bella having to teach six classes a day. Well, it is true. We used to have a four class day (which I loved) but our old Superintendent decided it cost too much money and a seven period day was better. Hence, we teach six periods with one period of planning per day. Six classes times twenty-five kids per class equals one hundred and fifty students per day. (Insert long diatribe on why teaching only seventy-five students per day is way more effective than one hundred and twenty-five.)**

**Finally, thanks to Kris who beta-ed this.**


	11. Chapter 11 Inversion

Chapter 11: Inversion

_A situation where the temperature increases with height instead of decreases,_  
_which is usually the case._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 23rd, High: 84F Low: 75 F Barometric Pressure 29.9 inHg*, Thunderstorms_

Well, Edward wasn't perfect.

He left the toilet seat up in my bathroom after he changed into his athletic clothes.

I washed my hands and grinned at myself in the mirror. Wasn't he the one who was telling me about putting the seat down because of a toilet's tendency to spew nasty particulate matter when flushed? Though, that may not be an issue in this case because this toilet had a seat but no lid and it also had one of those turbo, elephant poo flushers, as well. So, it was a turbo, nasty particle spewer when it was flushed. I was glad I put the shoji screen up between it and the sink. Now, I had a very zen turbo nasty particle spew catcher.  
I was chuckling at my inner monologue and then sighed. You know, I really was crazy.

I wondered if Edward liked crazy. I wondered if he would like me so much after he discovered just how crazy I really was.

I sighed as I remembered how he looked when he left for practice- or conditioning- as he called it. His hair was already tousled, no longer contained by any amount of styling he did this morning. His leg muscles broadcast to the world that he was a soccer player. They were tightly coiled and well-defined, leaving me practically drooling with desire. But then I was distracted by how his t-shirt stretched deliciously across his shoulders and biceps. Alliteration is the breakfast of champions, by the way.

My ogling was stopped, however, by what his t-shirt said: Parma Cheeseheads.

"Cheeseheads? I thought we're the Stingrays?" I asked.

"Technically, our team is named the Stingrays but a lot of people call us the Cheeseheads, even the students."

"What kind of name is that?"

"Parma High? Parmesan? Parmesan Cheese? Besides there is a huge contingent of ex-Wisconsonites who live here and so the name kinda stuck."

"I bet our opponents have a field day with that!"

"Yeah. You name it - shred/melt/grate the Cheeseheads," he said. "It just makes us fight harder."

"Do people wear those Cheesehead hats?" I was amused. Maybe Parma High was as quirky as I was.

"Oh, yes. A few of the school's clubs make money selling them. Actually, we take a fierce pride in our cheesiness. 'Yeah, we're the Cheeseheads. What're ya gonna do about it?'"

I laughed.

"I'll see you tonight, Miss Meteor. I'll be finished here around five, so I can be at your place at six. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Edward. I'm looking forward to it."

He reached into his gym bag, took out a protein bar and handed it to me. "Here, Ms Swan, this should help tie you over until dinner."

He waved as he left and I got back to grading. I happily nibbled at the bar Edward gave me and worked my way through one hundred and thirty papers. I found that to do them justice, they took quite a time to grade. Finally, I finished, recorded the results in my grade book, and headed home. It was dawning on me that I could spend hours after school doing my job. There was always something more, something better I could do. I could tell that was going to be my chief source of frustration in the future, especially when my endorsement classes started. It would probably be a good idea not to assign essays for all my classes to be due on the same day.

When I got home, I took a quick shower and afterwards paused in front of my closet. I wasn't quite sure what to wear, so I settled on a sundress. If Edward decided to take me to a fancy place, I could wear it with a matching cotton sweater and some heels. If it was more casual, simply the sundress and sandals would do.

Edward arrived right on time and, as usual, my heart flipped at the sight of him. I was beginning to wonder if I had a cardiac ailment or something. He was wearing cargo pants and a polo shirt, so I figured we were going to a more casual place.

I let him inside and said, "Give me two minutes to put on my shoes and I'll be ready to go."

I turned to my bedroom, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me close. "I've wanted to do this since I first saw you this morning." He leaned down and kissed me. I wondered if his heart fluttered like mine did.

After a few delightful moments, he pulled back and said, "Mmmm, strawberries."

"It's my lip gloss."

"It's good," he said as he leaned down to me again. I put my arms around his neck and gave myself up to the kissing gods - the strawberry lip gloss kissing gods. I was becoming addicted to the way he made me feel, all goosebumpy and jittery. His tongue tip traced the inside edge of my lips and I know I moaned.

Sighing, he straightened and said, "My Miss Meteor, we have reservations in a few minutes. We'd better get going."

"Okay," I whispered, a little shaken by my feelings. "I'll be right back. I need to put on my sandals – and reapply my lip gloss." I twinkled at him and headed for my bedroom.

That got me to thinking. Could one twinkle? What was a twinkle, really? Sparkling eyes? I wasn't sure. Well, at least I didn't tinkle at him. That would have been embarrassing.

As we drove down the street a few minutes later, he said, "Do you like seafood?"

I snickered and rolled my eyes, "My dad's favorite pastime is fishing when he's not watching a game on the flat-screen. I've eaten a lot of fish in my life."

"But did you like it?"

"Sure. I can cook it, too. I must know a hundred ways to cook fish."

"Maybe you could cook it for me sometime? It would take us a while to go through a hundred different recipes."

Wow. That would mean a lot of dinner dates. That sounded long term. Was he interested in that with me? The thought was amazingly thrilling but it was scary. Maybe he was just being nice and making conversation. I was most likely blowing an innocuous comment way out of proportion.

We talked about the first day of school and our students. Edward revealed that Jasper Whitlock was one of his soccer players and a pretty good one at that. I smiled as I thought of Alice's reaction to Jasper today.  
"I guess Jasper's pretty popular with the girls, huh?"

Edward looked at me as though he was wondering why I'd ask something so weird. "He has a lot of friends. I've noticed him with girls before but no one in particular."

"Hmmm."

"Jasper's a good kid. Hardworking. I had him last year. You'll like him as a student."

"He did well on the little paper I assigned today."

"I'm not surprised. I used to save marking his work for last just to have something good to look forward to. He never disappointed me."

"That's a good strategy. To tell you the truth, Edward, I was shocked at how poorly some of my students write. With some of them, I don't know where to start."

"We definitely have our hands full as language arts teachers. I'll show you some teaching methods for them that I've found works pretty well, if you want."

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate that." I smiled at him, loving the way his hair curled around his ears.

He pulled into Mulligan's parking lot. I remembered Edward mentioned the restaurant when he was explaining where he lived on the day I bought his futon. It must be a landmark in town. He opened my door and extended his hand to help me out. "Your mother taught you well, Edward."

Smiling, he said, "How so?"

"You have perfect manners."

"My mother would be very pleased to hear you say that."

He laced his fingers through mine and we entered the restaurant. There was a lounge to the right with people seated at the bar but the maitre d' led us to the dining room on the left after Edward gave his name. He seated us at a booth that over-looked the Parma River which was fairly broad this close to the Gulf. Due to the high backs of the booth, it was as if we were totally alone—just us and the view of the harbor.

We had a pleasant and relaxing dinner. By unspoken agreement we didn't talk about work, seeming to have a mutual need to learn more about each other. You know how they say people "clicked?" Well, we clicked, snapped, crackled and popped. Everything was perfect.

The restaurant wasn't busy, so the waiter told us to take our time as we sat talking over our coffee. The sun had set and it was lovely looking at the boat lights bobbing in the harbor. Jimmy Buffet music was playing quietly in the background - Wasting away in Margaritaville.

"So, Miss Meteor, how did you like your dinner?"

"It was delicious. This is a great place."

"It is. It's impossibly busy during the season, though. It has lines out the door and down the street every night. I don't bother coming here then."

"I wouldn't either."

"It's funny that when it is the season here, it is the off season up where my parents live and vice versa."

"It's never 'in season' in Forks, unless you're talking about the hunting season." I couldn't help shuddering.

Edward laughed, "You really didn't like living in Washington?"

"Oh, it did have its good points. It's a lovely place, that's for sure, and the people are great. I love my Dad and his world view – well, most of the time. He can be a little over-protective now and then. Now, Seattle is a great city if you can ignore the rain. I liked living there but, honestly, Edward, I like being warm better."

"It's not too warm here?"

"No. I love it, even with the humidity."

He hesitated a bit, tracing his finger around his coffee cup lip, "You don't miss anyone you left behind?"

He wasn't making eye contact with me at the moment, he was just staring at his cup but for some reason, I got the impression that his question was important.

"I miss my Dad somewhat and a few of my old friends but no one in particular."

"Your old friends?" he probed.

It dawned upon me he was wondering about Mike. I waited for him to look up so I could gaze directly into his eyes and said, "My girls. I miss hanging out with them but I don't miss anyone else." I wanted to convey exactly how infrequently I thought about my old boyfriend.

He smiled a little sheepishly. "I'm glad."

I reached across the table for his hand and said, "I'm really glad I moved to Parma, Edward."

"I'm really glad you did, too." There was that soft look I could drown in again. He was really getting under my skin and into my heart so thoroughly and deeply.

"Bella, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's something I've never told anyone before." The soft look was now edged with something like trepidation. What could he be anxious about?

He went on, "It concerns me…well…I think you need to know something up front before we get even deeper into this relationship."

He said relationship - the "R" word. I would have been ridiculously happy if it hadn't been for the "by the way" shit that preceded it. Well, if he needed to tell me about his sex change operation or his terminal halitosis, now would be the time to do it. I tried to relax and nodded encouragingly.

"I told you yesterday that I was sort of old fashioned. In some ways it's very true. Most people our age would think me a throw-back but I've reasons for being that way."

I was beginning to feel I needed another glass of wine right about now but I still gazed intently at him with my 'I'm listening and taking you seriously' face on. Ordering another drink would detract from that, I was sure.

"My parents raised me well. They're the best people I've ever known and I've always admired and respected them. But that didn't mean I was going to follow in their footsteps. During my freshman year in high school, I grew six inches and suddenly discovered that girls liked me. I certainly liked them and sort of forgot just about everything I was taught. My mother used to say that when I was in grammar school, I had the face and disposition of an angel. Then when puberty hit, I still had the face of an angel, but the disposition of a devil."

He chuckled and shook his head. "She was so right. I was always up to no good. I'd be out late drinking and partying with my friends. I had girls. I even smoked up on occasion and probably would have done more than that had my soccer coach not busted me." Edward looked at me, hoping I understood his purpose for telling me this, I am sure. So far, I hadn't a clue.

"Soccer was my passion and I couldn't imagine not playing. Coach caught me smoking weed after an away match one time and kicked me off the team. It just about killed me." I could tell from his expression, it just about killed him to think about it even now.

"I spent the weekend afterwards in agony. I didn't tell my parents. I stayed in. I didn't sleep. Finally, the following Monday, I showed up early and camped out in front of my coach's door. When he came in, I begged to be given another chance and after he grilled me for a while he let me back under a few conditions. I had to have a weekly drug test. I had to make A's in school – B's weren't good enough. I also had to sit out the next three matches. And, since this was a Catholic school remember, he also demanded that I attend mass each morning in the school's chapel. He was a smart man and probably without his stipulations I would have eventually screwed up big time." He paused to take a sip of his coffee.

"Honestly, Edward, I've never known anyone affiliated with the Catholic Church before. Heck, I'm not sure I've known anyone who was affiliated with any church. Mom was spiritual but she was more of knowing the god within typerather the one sanctioned by organized religion. The closest my dad ever got to religion was the communing with nature he did when he was hip deep fishing in a stream."

I paused and then asked, "Was your coach a priest?"

"Not exactly. He was a religious brother, a member in the order that served our school. He taught and coached several sports. His influence saved me, maybe even my life."

"Wow. That's inspiring!"

"He was the main reason I decided to teach."

"Edward, what's a brother?"

"Sort of a monk."

"They still have monks? Like Brother Cadfael?" I used to love reading those mysteries by Ellis Peters about the British Middle Ages but they were set more than nine hundred years ago. I loved the fact that perhaps this piece of antiquity was still alive and well.

Edward laughed, "Yes. I guess you could say they're the male version of a nun."

"So, they wear long tunics with cowls and cut their hair in tonsures?"

"Well, some do but not all. Brother Marcus didn't. You'd never know he was a brother unless it was by the way he lived his life."

"I'm sorry to be so ignorant about this sort of thing."

He smiled at me. "That's alright, Miss Meteor. I don't mind explaining it.

"Well anyway, I straightened up in school. I quit smoking. I went to daily mass. I didn't stop drinking but I did decrease my consumption a lot. I also still had fun with girls. The kids now-a-days would characterize me as a player, I guess.

"In my senior year, I met Irina. She was a new student at our school and we immediately became friendly competitors. She was an excellent scholar and star athlete. Eventually, we started seeing each other fairly regularly."

He stopped suddenly and sighed, staring over the water. "The winter before I graduated, Irina started getting sick - experiencing nausea and fatigue. This was a bad time for her to feel ill because she was a star on our girl's basketball team and she was hoping she'd be recruited to play in college. There were college scouts looking at her.

"Finally, her mother took her to a doctor and discovered there was nothing wrong with her - except that she was pregnant."

Damn. I really needed a glass of wine now, served in an iced tea glass. Maybe two of them.

"You have a child?" I barely managed to whisper. I felt like someone had sucker punched me.

"No." The bleakness of his voice snapped me out of my selfish panicking. When my eyes met his, I saw how deeply this story affected him. I recognized his pain and my heart melted. I moved to sit beside him and grabbed one of his hands with both of mine. I couldn't stand to see that look in his eyes.

He sighed and turned to look at me ."No, I don't have a child. There was a big meeting between our families. My parents were gutted. I'd seen them angry and disappointed with me before but I'd never seen them so desolated. Irina and I sat in the middle as our parents bickered over what was going to happen.

"I didn't have much to say except that I'd step up and take responsibility for the baby. Our parents seemed to think that was beyond my ability so my offer was disregarded. After that, I wasn't consulted about anything. A few days later, Irina went away and when she came back she wasn't pregnant anymore and she also wasn't speaking to me. She wasn't speaking to anyone."

"So, she had an abortion?" I asked.

"I suppose so. It was either that, or a convenient miscarriage. No one would ever tell me for sure. Afterwards, she avoided me like the plague. One day after school, I was able to corner her in the gym and asked her what happened. She finally talked. She blamed me for ruining her chances at an athletic scholarship to a decent school. She claimed that she lost everything and that I didn't suffer a bit. She said she hated me. By the time she was finished, she was screaming and then she stormed off. I never spoke to her again. What could I say to her that would have any meaning?

"I went home that day only knowing she was wrong. I had suffered. I was suffering. The guilt was overwhelming. I knew I had a hand in ruining Irina's dreams and, indirectly, my own child's existence.

"My dad was sitting in our kitchen drinking a cup of coffee after an early shift at the hospital. He must have seen what I was feeling from my expression, so he invited me to join him.

"I'll never forget what he told me that day. 'Edward, when all is said and done, you are what you do. Words are meaningless without the actions to back them up. And what have your actions said about you? Is that the man you want to be? Because, right now, that's the man you are.'

"That hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd behaved like an irresponsible, self-centered, jerk – the opposite of what I wanted to be. In my selfish pursuit of my own pleasure, I injured people, not just Irina and the baby, but my mother and father, as well. So, I made a vow to myself..."

And then he stopped, like he was afraid to go on. He looked at me, his eyes filled with anguish.

"You were a kid, Edward. All kids go through the irresponsible, self-centered, jerk phase to some extent."  
He smiled a little then. "And what happened when you went through yours?"

"Uhm, maybe I'm still going through it?"

He laughed and shook his head, "Irresponsible, self-centered and jerk aren't the three adjectives I'd ever use to define you, Miss Meteor."

"Maybe you don't know me very well." He really didn't.

He leaned back in the booth to look speculatively at me. "I think I know you, at least the kind of person you are, fairly well. I know that you found a bunch of Tanya's toys in your classroom cabinet and you never said a word to anyone about it except to her. I know that you were teased this morning about your mosquito attraction and you didn't tell anyone about that, either. I know that you are going hungry and you haven't asked anyone for help. I know that you put more time than you promised into Eleanor's yard just because it pleased the old lady. None of those actions are self-centered or irresponsible and are far from those of a jerk."

I knew my eyes were as big as a barn owl's, staring at him in surprise. "How did you know all of that?"

"Tanya told me about some of it today after school. She was trying to defend herself, thinking you had already run to me to 'tattle' on her escapades and catty behavior. She thought that was why I was being standoffish towards her."

"You've been avoiding her?"

"Yes. She couldn't believe that I wasn't interested in dating her again, so she decided that you were complaining to me about her and spoiling her game."

"But I never said anything to anyone about any of it."

He gripped my hand and gave me that soft, intense look again, "I know, Miss Meteor. It proves my point. You're not even close to being self-centered. You're one of the most responsible people I've ever met and I've never known you to treat someone unkindly, even when they deserved it."

While staring into his eyes, I lifted my hand and traced down his cheek and then across his lips. "You are the kindest person I've ever met, Edward."

He swallowed. "It's easy to be kind to you, Bella. That's why I'm telling you about my sordid past now. I want you to understand something about me before you make the decision to move forward with our relationship."

"What sort of relationship, Edward?" I wanted to make sure we were on the same page. I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"I want to date you, Bella. I want to learn more about you. I want you to learn more about me. We're at the beginning of a journey and who knows where it will end but I'd like to see where we may go." His smile was brilliant and the sparkle in his eyes was entrancing. Damn, the blinky tic attacked me again.

"You want to date me? You mean exclusively?" I was surprised at how high pitched my voice sounded.

"There's no one else I am interested in spending time with other than you but I will not ask the same of you. There's something you need to understand first."

"What's that?"

"Since that episode with Irina, I decided that I would take no more chances with fatherhood before I could be the best father possible to a child."

He cleared his throat and looked at me with that same hesitation he showed before. "I also believe the best kind of father includes being the best kind of husband to that child's mother."

It dawned on me now that I knew what was coming.

He wasn't going to have sex with me tonight or any future night.

I didn't think the lounge was closed, yet. Maybe I could order a bottle of Merlot to go. I'd put it on my charge card, my budget bedamned.

For clarification purposes, though, I asked, "In other words, you haven't had sex since you were a senior in high school?"

"Basically." He was actually blushing.

"And that was nine years ago?"

"Yes."

"And so you are waiting until marriage before you have sex again?"

He shrugged. "Not precisely. All I'm waiting for is to find the woman I care enough about to marry and would want to be the mother of my child should a pregnancy occur."

"And you haven't found someone like that in all those years?"

He studied my face. "Not until now, maybe." Dare I say he looked hopeful?

Holeeeeee shit.

Maybe I should change that to go bottle of wine to a jug of tequila.


	12. Chapter 12 Fathom

Chapter 12: Fathom

_A unit of length equal to six feet which is used to measure the depth of water._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 24rd, High: 95 F Low: 78 F Barometric Pressure 29.9 inHg*, Thunderstorms_

I sat next to Edward and blinked at him. That tic was becoming really irritating.

I didn't say anything. I mean, what could I say? This guy was amazing - thanks Renée. He was perfect. He was the best thing I'd ever seen or kissed. But…he was seriously heavy.

I mean…no sex for nine years? Holy shit. I could hardly believe it. But maybe he'd do the deed if the gal he was sexing up was someone he could feel okay about marrying and have kids with if a baby was accidentally conceived? Geesh.

The silence between us grew.

He was looking at me like he regretted telling me anything. I knew I needed to say something.

Say something, Bella.

"Uhm, you know, Edward, there's such a thing as contraception, right?"

His pained expression let me know that wasn't the thing he was hoping to hear and I quickly tried to back track. Shit, I was really blowing this.

"Edward, wait. I'm sorry if I'm saying the wrong thing. I've just never known someone who had your point of view." That wasn't exactly true. He and my grandmother would have gotten along like 'peas and carrots' but she was born in 1935. Edward probably was born around 1985 or there abouts. For instance, Grandma told me once the best form of contraception was an aspirin – always held tightly between the knees.

I looked earnestly into his eyes, trying to convey how much he already meant to me. But there was so much about him I simply didn't understand.

His own eyes were gazing back into mine with that same soft look he'd been giving me for a while but this time it was tinged with – was that disappointment? Oh my. I needed to fix this right away. So, since words were failing me, I did the next best thing. I leaned over and kissed him.

The kiss was sweet and full of whatever that fluttery, soft and tingly feeling was that I'd been having for this man. I was glad to feel him return it and I hope that boded well for us.

I pulled back, noting his expression was a little more hopeful and said, "I've never felt this way about anyone before, Edward. It's both scary and thrilling. I already feel that we are more than friends. I'd love to be your steady but I'm so afraid I'm not good enough for you. The sex thing has caught me totally off-guard."

He started to speak but I put my fingers over his lips and shook my head.

"Honestly, I never desired to get married and have children. Marriage in my family hasn't worked out all that well, or at least the marriage between my parents didn't. My mother's marriage to my step-father is sort of weird." I shrugged thinking about Mom and the Pothead.

"Of course, I know that sex is what causes babies but for some reason, I've never worried about getting pregnant. I've been on the pill for years and since I am so sure of it, I never seriously thought about what I'd do if it failed. Fortunately, it never surprised me."

I shook my head. "But I guess, what you're trying to tell me is that if we date, there won't be an intimate side to our relationship?"

He smiled tenderly at me and put his arms around my waist. "There are other forms of intimacy, Bella and I hope we can share those. I can't seem to stop wanting to touch you and to kiss you. I just wanted you to know from the start that I don't view sex as a form of casual entertainment. For me, it implies a commitment. But I know that my opinions aren't shared by most people our age and dating couples are expected to have sex."

He shrugged. "Women usually run away screaming when they realize where I'm coming from. I wanted to tell you this up front before you decided to go any further with me."

"Oh my god, Edward, I don't think I could."

His smile was heartbreakingly beautiful and he pulled me tightly to his side, "I would be disappointed too, Bella." His lips were at my temple, so I lifted my face so they could find my mouth. We kissed, which only reignited the fires within me. No fucking fair. Literally.

So, I said, "I don't mean to be insensitive but, just so you know, my birth control method has always been very reliable."

"Birth control fails. We used condoms every time we had sex and Irina still got pregnant."

"The pill is much more effective than condoms. If you combine methods, you reduce the chances to practically nothing."

Smiling, he said, "What are you trying to talk me into, Bella?"

Well, duh. What did he think I was trying to talk him into? "My pants!"

Oh, shit. Did I say that out loud?

Edward burst out laughing and I turned the color of the shirt that Jimmy Buffet was wearing in the poster on the wall behind us– a red on red Hawaiian number.

"Oh, crap. I can't believe I just said that out loud!" I moaned and put my head in my hands.

He pulled them away from my face and kissed my blushing cheeks and then again, my lips. "Bella, you amazed me from the very first moment you crashed into me. Every time I've seen you since has only made me more amazed. I find myself more and more wrapped up in you and it scares me, too. I don't know what it is or how it works but I also have never felt like this about anyone before. I want to spend time together if you will agree."

Okay. Was it weird that he was using the word amazed to describe his feelings about us, too? Oh boy, would Renée have a big hippy cow about that. I could just hear her now. Lord. And that's precisely why I was never going to tell her.

I decided I needed to get all of this out in the open in plain English. "So, you're saying that you want to date me but you don't want to have sex with me?" I couldn't believe any man his age wouldn't want sex, especially Edward. He could have anyone he chose.

Edward shook his head, the look in his eyes blazed and I felt the muscles in his arms flex as he held me closer. In a low, rough voice he said, "Oh yes, My Miss Meteor, yes. I want you. I ache for you. Never think I don't."

That made me feel a lot better but while I could respect his point of view, I wasn't sure if I could ignore my own powerful desire for him. I foresaw a lot of battery use in my future if we did date. And the frustration I would feel from unresolved sexual tension would be off the charts. I wasn't sure I could deal with that extra stress in my life on top of everything else I had going on right now. I didn't know what to do.

"I understand where you're coming from, Edward." My voice roughened as I added, "I desire you, too. So much. Not being able to act on it is going to be pure torture for me. It's just that I am not sure I could ever make that kind of commitment to anyone."

"What commitment?" he asked, confused.

"The commitment that if we eventually had sex and our birth control failed, that I would agree to become a mother and a wife. It seems that the unspoken aspect of your vow would imply that the woman be agreeable, too."

"I guess so. Do you think we could still enjoy each other's company and see where things go, even if we don't…?"

"I need to think about this, Edward." I gently pulled away from his arms and started rearranging the salt and pepper shakers on the table in front of me. "As you know, my time is not going to be my own for a long while and the added stress of working out the particulars of a relationship filled with constant sexual tension may be more than I can handle, right now."

"I understand," was all Edward said. His hopeful looked waned.

We sat there in silence for a moment, then Edward said, "Constant sexual tension, eh?"

Still staring at the salt and pepper, I cracked a smile and said, "It seems that way."

"My Miss Meteor…" he whispered and reached over to play with the hair at the nape of my neck. His warm hand and gentle fingers were calming in a curious way. I sighed, shut my eyes, and simply enjoyed it.

After several moments, he pulled his hand away and said, "It's getting late for a school night, Bella. Perhaps we should head back?"

We didn't speak much more after that. He gave me a peck on the cheek at my door after driving me home. As he backed out of the driveway, I gave Mrs. Cope's kitchen window a wave. I knew she was looking, even though I couldn't see her.

I wondered if Edward lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling for hours as I did.

When I got to my class room the next morning, I found a little origami box sitting square in the middle of my desk. It was folded out of graph paper and was probably no more than an inch on each side. In the dead center of each of the six sides of the box was an "M" done in different scripts. I gently turned it over and over, trying to see if there was more to it but there wasn't, just a perfect paper cube with "M's" inscribed on every side. Strange. What did it mean?

It was so delicate, I was afraid of damaging it, so I put it on the top of my cabinet where I could see it but it wouldn't be inadvertently smashed. It didn't escape my notice that it was left in the same place the Starbucks coffee was left yesterday. Did Edward make it for me? There wasn't a note to explain. And honestly, anyone of the English faculty could have put it there since all our keys were interchangeable. The origins and meaning of little paper box were such a mystery.

However, class was beginning soon and I needed to pull myself together. I didn't sleep well last night because Edward was another puzzle I wanted to figure out. He seemed perfect but the last time a guy mentioned my name and marriage in the same paragraph, I ran away to the other side of the friggen country. I was already half way to doing that again. I wasn't sure I could handle that sort of intensity, even when I told him up front that I wasn't interested in a mother or a wife. This was deep.

But it made me sick on my stomach at the thought of never seeing him again for the rest of my life.

On the other hand, good Lord, I just met him. I knew he wasn't declaring himself to me last night but he did hold that door open even if he wasn't sure we would go through it. OMFG this was too much.

And so, I was in turmoil when the warning bell rang and I went out into the hallway to monitor the students as they passed into their classrooms. Edward was already standing by his door. His face lit up when he saw me and he said, "Good morning, Ms Swan."

Oh, that smile. I could just eat it up. I smiled back and said, "Good morning, Mr. Cullen." His gaze began to soften when Lauren Mallory came up to him and asked a question. He turned to her and the moment passed. I was so confused. I needed to get a grip on something but I didn't even know what.

When the tardy bell rang, I went into my room and shut the door. I was perplexed because Lauren still hadn't returned from Edward's room. This was going to be an issue because now she was tardy and there were consequences to being late without a pass.

I started class and a few minutes later there was a scrabbling at my door and I looked through the window and saw Lauren there. Her sour face reflected her attitude pretty well, I'd say. I went to the door and opened it.

"Do you have a pass, Lauren?"

"I was just next door. You saw me there. I had to talk to Mr. Cullen."

"Yes, but you need a pass to get into class after the bell rings."

She looked mulish. "I told you, I was with Mr. Cullen."

I smiled kindly but said firmly, "Then, you'll have to get a pass from Mr. Cullen."

If looks would kill, I'd at least have a flesh wound. She didn't say anything, just swung around and stomped back over to Edward's room. I went on with the lesson.

A few minutes later, she was knocking at the door. I opened it and she stormed in, shoving a note into my hand as she rushed to her seat. I started an internal mantra, "Pick your battles. Pick your battles. Pick your battles."

I looked down at the note and was again perplexed. It didn't appear to be in Edward's writing.

"Lauren, Mr. Cullen wrote this?"

"That's what it says doesn't it?" Really, her disrespect was over the line. I just stopped and stared at her with no expression on my face. This was my 'big fat hairy-eyeball you'd better straighten your ass up or else' look. She met my gaze for a moment, then looked down and started shuffling papers. Without a word, I walked over to my desk and wrote a note on a pad of paper I had there. The note was the start of my shopping list for Friday - batteries were at the top of the list - but Lauren didn't know that. I wanted her to wonder and sweat about what I was doing. Sometimes not saying a word was more powerful than a diatribe.

And I didn't say another word to her. She had already taken up enough of class time. I started the lesson where I'd left off and let Lauren stew. For the remainder of class, though she wasn't Suzy Sunshine, she was compliant and I could get my work done. And I think my 'BFHE' impressed the hell out of the rest of the class because they steered clear of Lauren pretty completely.

When I dismissed the class, Lauren came up to ask, "Can I have the note that Mr. Cullen wrote for me back?"

"Why?" I asked.

"Because I need it."

"So do I, Lauren. I will give it to you tomorrow."

"But I want it now!"

This girl had balls, I'll give her that, but she was an idiot. I just BFHEd her again and then said, "I'll give it to you tomorrow, if you're lucky. Now you'd better get going to your next class. You don't want to be late for that one too, and I won't write you a pass to get in there either."

She stomped out of my room pretty quickly then. I was sorry I had to get all up in her face but, hell, she was about the rudest kid I'd ever met. After she left, I picked up the note and went next door. I had about three minutes.

"Mr. Cullen?"

Edward was seated at his desk and looked up, a pleased grin on his face, "Ms Swan! It's a pleasure to see you." His eyes flickered down my body to my legs and back up. I was wearing a skirt today. It fell to a few inches above my knees, so it wasn't indecent but he looked anyway. His grin widened. I looked quickly around the room to see if anyone noticed Mr. Cullen's inappropriate ogling of his colleague but fortunately the few students who were in there were busy unpacking their book bags and chattering with each other.

I gave him my own Edward version of a hairy-eyeball, but this one said, "DUMBASS, THERE'RE KIDS AROUND!" But he was so cute I couldn't resist smiling at him as I walked over as close as I dared and lowered my voice so that the students already in the class couldn't hear. "Did you write Lauren a late pass to my class last period?"

His amused expression rapidly changed to concern, "No. I didn't."

I showed him the note she gave me.

"No, I didn't write that. It's been forged. There was no reason for her to be late to your class this morning."

Nodding grimly, I replied, "I didn't think that was your signature."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I will have to follow school procedure. Write her up, I guess."

"Most definitely. I'll write her up also for forging my signature."

"What shall I write her up for, then?"

"Being tardy and insubordinate, as I am sure she was." He smirked and gave me a knowing look.

"Thank you. I need to go before the bell rings."

I handed him the note and as he took it, he leaned closer and lowered his voice, "It's my pleasure, my Miss Meteor."

There it was again, my Miss Meteor. He called me that often. I tried not to place too much significance in it because it just reflected my clumsiness the first day we met. I thought when he first started to use it he was teasing me but now, I didn't know. Maybe it was more than that. He had told me where the quote came from but I hadn't recognized it. I'd have to ask him sometime. This man twisted me up like a pretzel. Oh, it was just too much to think about right now.

The rest of the morning passed uneventfully. I changed my plans a little from the ones I'd sent to Edward the week before. I knew from my student teaching days that it was typical to change things because teaching and learning were a two way street. I couldn't just shovel stuff on the students without constantly getting feedback from them showing me where they were on the learning curve. I passed back the papers I had marked from the day before and discussed common errors that they made. I asked them to take it home to rewrite and if they improved, then I would add more points to the original grade.

My stomach was really rumbling when the lunch bell rang. This time, though, I just reached into my cabinet and pulled out my brown bag that I'd safely tucked in there in the morning. I quickly ran downstairs to get my milk. The lunch lady sheepishly charged me the full price for the milk, apologizing for not recognizing me as a teacher the day before. I just laughed. She had helped me out without knowing it.  
When I got back to my room, Diane was there waiting for me.

"Do you mind if I join you today?"

"That would be great, Diane. Just pull up a chair and we can eat at my desk."

She did as I suggested and asked, "Well, how's it going?"

"I have no complaints. I like my students. Well, most of them."

"Oh, do you have any stinkers?"

"I hope not but Lauren Mallory has been showing me a poor attitude." I shook my head.

"She's a spoiled brat. Her daddy runs Holiday orange grove, which is one of the county's biggest employers and her momma is the charity ball chairwoman."

"Which charity ball?"

"All of them, practically. She should spend more time minding what her little girl is getting in to than going to fund raisers and teas." Diane huffed for good measure.

"I think she's unhappy that she's in my class this year rather than Mr. Cullen's."

"Edward's teaching seniors."

"Yes, that is what he explained to her but she seems to think that shouldn't matter."

"She'll pitch a big enough fit at home and her parents will storm in here wanting the school to fix it."

"How can they do that?"

"They can't, but they'll try." Diane looked speculatively at me a moment, then she said, "You need to keep very good records, Bella. Document everything, so they can't cast any aspersions on your work."

"Oh crap. Will I have to worry about that?"

"You'll be alright, just document every time she shows her butt."

"Okay." I was very thankful I had an experienced teacher giving me advice. I would make sure to write a narrative of this morning's episode.

"Bella, what did Jake Black want with you yesterday at lunch?"

"Jake Black? I didn't see him yesterday at all."

"He came up her the last part of lunch with two trays of cafeteria food. I thought maybe you had a lunch date with him."

I could feel my eyebrows climb up my forehead. "Oh, really?" How did Jake know I needed a lunch yesterday?

"He was upset that you weren't in your room."

"I had duty the last half of lunch yesterday."

"I told him I thought you did but I didn't know where you were stationed. I think he went looking for you."

"Well, he didn't find me and, frankly, I am glad he didn't. He sort of weirds me out."

"Jake's really harmless. He's just socially awkward. He doesn't seem to realize when he's crossed the line."

"Hmmmm." Maybe Jake was the one who stole my lunch yesterday. And here I was blaming the skank-whore for it. She was still a skank-whore but she blew it yesterday with Edward. What I would have given to be a fly on the wall to listen to that conversation.

The Jake issue was sort of worrisome. What if he tried to do something else to get my attention – if that was what he wanted? Since Edward already knew that someone took my lunch yesterday, maybe I could ask his advice. Besides, it would give me another excuse to talk to him.

"So, Bella, tell me how it's going with you and Edward?" Diane smiled coyly at me.

I coughed, almost choking on my milk, "Me and Edward?"

"Oh come on, Bella, I've seen the way you look at each other."

I knew I couldn't act nonchalantly about it. My cheeks already felt on fire, so I just smiled weakly. "We went on a date last night."

"Really? Excellent! What did you do?"

"We went to Mulligan's for dinner. It was very good."

"Oh, that's a great place. Did you sit next to the river?"

"Yes. We had a spectacular view."

"I bet you didn't watch it much with Edward to look at."

I know I just blushed more.

Diane saw my discomfort and chuckled. She rested her hand on my arm and said, "Don't worry Bella. I don't think anyone else has noticed and I certainly won't go talking about it. I think you two are perfect for each other."

"You do?"

"I do. Edward is one in a million. He's such a good person and he works so hard. I've seen him go out of his way to help someone when they need it."

"That's true. He's helped me so much since I've met him."

"I think he's doing that for other reasons than just being kind."

I had to laugh now, "That's what he told me."

"That he wasn't being nice to you out of kindness?"

"Yep." I smiled, thinking of him and all the wonderful things he had done for me.

"So, the two of you are dating?"

"Maybe. Perhaps. I don't know. I am going to be so slammed with work when my endorsement classes start next week, that I think 'dating' is going to be a moot point."

"Aw, honey, true love will find a way."

True love? I was shaken and my stomach twisted. Was that what all this crazy elation and confusion was? Was I falling in love? Holeeee shit, indeed.

"Diane, how do you know when you love someone like that?" I whispered.

She looked up at me with a very motherly expression, "Bella, it's different for everyone, I think. For me, it was that curious fluttery feeling I got when I was around him. I thought I was having heart problems for a while."

She laughed. "But then, we just clicked. But I will tell you, love isn't enough for a long term relationship."  
I blinked at her. Wasn't love the only thing that mattered?

She could see my surprise. "Love is great to start with, but you both have to have the same priorities, as well. I've seen deeply in love people break up simply because they couldn't decide whether to spend their money on a house or on a trip. They had different goals in life, you see."

The confusion spun in my brain and I was going into emotional overload. Oh my god, what was going on with all these heavy discussions lately? My poor brain needed a break.

Like a savior, Alice came in the room. "Oh, hi Mom! Ms Swan." She walked over and gave her mother a hug.  
"What are you doing up here, Alice? I thought you'd still be in the cafeteria," Diane asked.

"Oh, I heard there were some club meetings going on up here, so I thought I'd check them out."

"Alice, the only club that is meeting up here today is the Soccer Team," Diane commented.

Alice blinked innocently at her mother and said, "Oh, really?"

I bit my bottom lip to keep from laughing. Alice really had it bad for Jasper. I really shouldn't laugh, though. Evidently, I really had it bad for his coach.

Soon, the bell rang and Diane and Alice left. I noticed Alice quickly ducked out into the hall before the Soccer team left Edward's room. Apparently, she was in full stalker mode. I think I could remember doing that a few times myself back in the day.

I spent my planning period making a power point presentation to use to introduce the novel we were going to read this quarter. All I can say is thank God for Google image search. I got it finished just before my next two classes were to begin. So far, I felt I was managing my time fairly well.

Predictably, Alice dawdled around until Jasper came in between her class and his. He still greeted me warmly and didn't seem to notice her. Poor girl. You could just feel the yearning she had for this guy.  
My last class went like clockwork and, I must say, I loved the maturity level of my junior classes, with the exception of Lauren, but I had her in the morning. My afternoon English III class was perfect, so far. We had an interesting discussion about how people were educated in colonial times as a prelude to me introducing Cooper's The Leather Stocking Tales. I showed them a picture of James Fenimore Cooper and was tickled when one of the girls, Jessica Stanley, said, "He's hot for a colonial dude!"

When the last bell rang, I stood in the hall and watched as the students hurried out of the building into the rain that was finally falling after threatening to fall all day. I was hoping the storm would blow out some of the heat and humidity that had been pretty brutal today.

As I returned to my desk, I was surprised to see Jasper still sitting in the room busily writing away in his notebook.

"Are you going home, Jasper?"

"Not yet, Ms Swan. I drive to school, so I don't have to worry about catching a bus. I just wanted to finish up this assignment before I left. Is that okay?"

"Sure, no problem. I have some work to do myself." I sat down at my desk and pulled my teacher's text book out to map out my lectures for the rest of the unit. We were sitting there quietly when Edward came in.

"Ah, Ms Swan, how did your day go?"

"It went well, thank you, Mr. Cullen."

Edward looked at Jasper, who had finished his assignment and was beginning to pack up his books in preparation for leaving. "Jasper, I am glad I ran into you. We aren't going to have conditioning today. There's some lightning associated with this storm, so I've decided to cancel*."

"Okay, Coach. You want me to call the guys and tell them?"

"Yes. That's a great idea. Thank you." Edward watched as Jasper closed the door behind him when he departed and then turned to me but this time his gaze was warm and full of expectation.

"My Miss Meteor," he said, "since I don't have Soccer conditioning today, I was wondering if we could do something this afternoon."

I just couldn't resist him. "What did you have in mind? I've got a lot of school work to do."

"So do I. How about packing that all up and we can go to Starbucks, get some coffee, and do our work in their lounge?"

"I have a better idea, Edward."

"What's that?"

"Let's go to my house. I can brew a pot of coffee and we can work together there. It may not have Starbuck's ambience but it does have its own charm."

Edward grinned, "It also has one thing that Starbucks doesn't."

"What's that?"

"Privacy."

* * *

AN:

A pass is a written note that gives a student permission to move through the hallways during class time. During class time, all students are supposed to be IN class, not out in the halls. Teachers and staff members can allow a student to leave class but they have to write a note for the student to carry first. If a student is in the halls without a pass, they will be punished.

You know really, James Fenimore Cooper was pretty good looking. Go to my journal to see a picture of him. Either that or Jess Stanley and I have weird taste in men.

I think lightning strikes in Florida the most of any other state. We have many lightning related deaths and injuries every year so schools make an effort to insure the safety of their students by canceling outdoor activities when a Lightning Storm is in the offing. In fact, my school has a huge siren mounted on the roof that goes off when it detects lightning in the area. When you hear it, you are supposed to come inside.

Thanks, Kris, for all your suggestions, even though a wicked cold had you in its grips.


	13. Chapter 13 Tropical Disturbance

Chapter 13 Tropical Disturbance

_An area of organized convection which originates in the tropics or subtropics and maintains its identity for twenty-four hours or more. In successive stages of intensification, it may be subsequently classified as a tropical wave, tropical depression, tropical storm, or hurricane._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 25th. High 90 F, Low 78 F Barometric Pressure 29.98 inHg, Thunderstorms._

Edward said he was going to go to his apartment to change first and then he'd be over. I thought that was a good idea so I got changed out of my school clothes and into some shorts and a tank top. I made sure I was wearing the top that draped just so and showed off my assets a little more than the others did. While my shorts wouldn't qualify as Daisy Dukes, they were way shorter than the skirt I wore today. We'll see how Mr. Cullen liked that.

As I was brushing my hair, I had a really naughty idea. I dug around in my jewelry box and found a hair pin that I inherited from Grandma Swan. She said that since I got her thick, brown hair, I deserved to get her hair combs and pins, too. Gran took great pride in her hair and she never cut it. I used to enjoy playing with it when I was little and she would show me how to braid and pin it up using her assortment of hair bobs, as she called them.

This particular pin was my favorite. It was a solid ivory stick about six inches long. From Gran, I learned the art of how to twist my hair up on top of my head and use the pin to hold it loosely in place. It was a blatant invitation for someone to pull it out and let my hair tumble down around my shoulders and face. I'd been told before that it was a complete turn on. Let's see if Edward thought so as well. I also layered on the strawberry lip gloss.

You know, I respected Edward's vow but I wasn't going to make it easy on him. If I was going to suffer, he was, too.

I went into the kitchen and dug out my French coffee press. I had about ten pounds of coffee in my freezer. When my Seattle friends heard I was moving to Florida, just about each one of them gave me a sack of coffee beans. Evidently, they believed there was only orange juice in the Sunshine State so they tried to insure I didn't do without my caffeine fix. I smiled fondly remembering them. What a crazy bunch I'd left behind. Maybe I could convince them to visit one day. I bet they'd bring more coffee.

I ground the beans, boiled the water and then got the press to do its work. After I put the milk and sugar on the counter, I was ready for Edward's arrival. When he pulled in a few minutes later, my heart started beating double time. I know I'd seen him today at school but when he was Mr. Cullen and I was Ms Swan I couldn't give into my instincts. It didn't matter that the electricity between us was there and was hard as hell to ignore, we couldn't act upon it. Now, we were alone and I couldn't wait to touch him, among other things, but touching him was a good place to start.

I met him at the door and as soon as it was shut he pulled me close, kissed me on the nose and grinned, "Hello, Ms Swan."

"Ms Swan?"

"I just get a kick out of seeing you at school." He stepped back and looked at me, his eyes scanning my body just like they did in school today. They got noticeably darker when he stared at my hair twisted up on top of my head. "You're beautiful," he said.

I gazed at his square jaw, full lips, sparkling green eyes, broad shoulders, and muscular legs. Sighing, I said, "So are you."

I couldn't resist reaching up to trace that jaw, my thumb caressing his bottom lip. He was mouthwatering. Edward pulled me closer and I slipped my arms around his neck and we kissed.

Fireworks exploded. This is what I wanted. This is what I had yearned for during the day – to be held in his arms so tightly it felt as though our bodies could meld. I opened my mouth to his and honestly, it felt as though the earth moved. I always believed that expression to be an exaggeration created by lyricists but I found it's actually true. This man shook my world.

When we eventually parted, I asked, "Is it good that we work together?"

"It can be good or it can be bad. Right now, it's great." Smiling, he let me go and I was glad to see him put his back-pack down on the floor next to the futon. Working there would give us more opportunities to cuddle.

I poured a couple of mugs of coffee and asked, "How do we keep it from going bad?"

He followed me over to the kitchen counter, "By keeping things professional at work."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that."

"Are you worried about something?"

"Sort of."

I noticed he added milk and sugar to his coffee, just as I preferred it.

"What is it, my Miss Meteor?"

"Interacting professionally at work is like protracted fore-play."

He chuckled, "Yeah. That's what it felt like today. I really liked the skirt you had on, but those shorts are pretty nice, too." He was giving me the eye.

I giggled, "Eight hours of fore-play could make things exciting but…" I took a sip of my coffee. "It isn't fore-play if there isn't any during-play. You know what I mean?"

He ducked his head and slanted a look at me, "I think I can think of a few ways to play, Ms Swan."

"Oh, really?"

His grin was wicked, "Really."

"I can't believe I'm talking like this to you. You must think I'm a harlot."

He appeared surprised at my remark but his voice was full of concern, "Now, that's an old fashioned word. No, I don't think you're a harlot, not even close. Why would you even think that? I'm the one who's the oddball."

"You don't judge people who don't agree with you about sex?"

"I believe people have the right to make their own choices about it."

"So, the fact that I'm not a virgin doesn't bother you?"

He looked almost pained, "Bella, I'm not a virgin. Why should I expect you to be?"

"I've been thinking about a lot of things since you explained your point of view, things I never gave a thought to before. I just don't want you to think I am shallow or have no morals."

He grabbed my hand so that I would look at him. "I like you, Bella, I really do. If you were shallow and had no morals, I wouldn't. Everything about you is amazing."

There was that amazing word again. It kept on popping up in our conversations.

Then that irresistible twinkle appeared in his eyes and he said, "And I believe if we ever did make love – it would be amazing, too."

He was still holding my hand and I could feel him slowly tracing circles in my palm with his thumb. There was a heat in his eyes that went straight to my neglected girly bits and pieces and my mouth got suddenly dry.

"Oh…" was all I could manage to squeak. Yes, it was a squeak, I am ashamed to say.

We stared at each other until the haze of lust ebbed a bit and we finally remembered that we had a lot of school work to do and so we got started on that. We settled down together on the sofa and I started re-reading the Cooper novel and making notes. Edward got out a folder of papers to grade.

I had music softly playing in the background and by coincidence - or by Renée's fervent, spooky incantations - Paul McCartney started singing 'Maybe, I'm Amazed.'* Since he screamed most of the lyrics, I think we got through that pretty well but it reminded me of how amazed Edward made me. I was only mildly uncomfortable as the song played and sighed in relief when it was over. Edward didn't seem to notice.  
We worked steadily until my randomizer must have decided that my Beatles play list was the flavor of the day. Suddenly, George Harrison was singing 'Something in the Way She Moves.'* I heard Edward's shaky breath and I looked up from my book to find him staring at me. Our eyes met and that now familiar sensation of time standing still happened once more. Eventually, his gaze roamed my face and then settled on my hair. He slowly lifted his hand, pulled the pin from the loose bun I had it in and it fell down in waves around my shoulders. He let out a long, shuddering breath as his fingertips lightly traced the contours of my face.

Just as George started singing, 'You're asking me will my love grow…I don't know, I don't know…Stick around, and it may show…But I don't know, I don't know," Edward tenderly kissed me. It felt so good and sweet and gentle.

Still cupping my face in his hands, he leaned back and with a look as tender as his kiss he whispered, "Are you going to stick around, Bella?"

"I…I…think so," I whispered.

He pulled me into his arms so that my head was nestled into his neck and simply said, "Good."

He held me like that until the last chords of the song and then chuckled when 'When I'm Sixty-four'* came on. I had to giggle, too.

We got back to work.

Around seven o'clock the rain had eased off and we were talking about going out to pick up some Chinese for dinner when there was an unexpected knock at my door. I got up to find Eleanor, wearing an electric green and pink muumuu, standing there holding a big stock pot. "You kids want some supper?"

Smiling, I looked over at Edward and at his pleased nod said, "Sure Eleanor, why don't you join us?"

"Well, I don't mind if I do!" She turned around and whistled, "Poncho! We're eating over here tonight!" The little dog followed her in and started sniffing around the room.

As we set my little table with mismatched plates, Eleanor started right in, "So, Edward, I've noticed you're over here a lot lately. Bella must need a lot of help settling into the English department at Parma." Ah, Mrs. Cope was on a fishing expedition.

Edward winked at her, "Bella's settled in at school just fine, Eleanor. I come over here for other reasons."

"Oh, you're showing her around town, being as she's a newcomer and all?" Pry. Pry. Pry.

"Not so much." Edward went on setting the table as I brewed a fresh pot of coffee. I was wondering what he was going to say to her and by extension, to everyone else.

"Oh?" Eleanor's face was one of nosey expectation. It was obvious her dinner came with a price. She wanted information.

Edward gave in. "Actually, Bella and I are dating." He looked up to smile happily at me.

"Oh. So she's your girlfriend!" Eleanor clapped her hands in delight. "That's wonderful."

"Yes. It's quite wonderful," Edward responded. "It's amazing."

I wondered if Renée had somehow managed to learn about Edward, got his phone number and told him to continuously use that word.

But then I realized he agreed with Eleanor that I was his girlfriend. I was Edward's girlfriend. That meant he was my boyfriend. My heart gave a happy lurch. I was surprised at how much I liked that idea. I grinned back at him, my boyfriend. I was a lucky girl.

Now, it was my turn for the inquisition. "So, Bella, Edward here swept you off your feet? You've only been in school for a little over a week. He works fast." I was wondering just how much this little lady was going to snoop. Would she ask about our sex lives, too?

"Actually, Eleanor, Edward and I met several weeks ago, on the first day I arrived in Parma as a matter of fact."

"Really? Imagine that! That's so sweet." She clasped her hands together in delight, a huge grin on her face, "I swear, you two are MFEO - and I really mean it this time!"

I laughed out loud. Eleanor was such a nut. I decided it was time to try to steer the conversation in another direction. "What's for dinner, Eleanor?"

"Arroz Cubano con Pollo."

Edward said, "Cuban chicken and rice? That sounds great."

"It is great. I got the recipe from an actual Cuban." She lowered her voice to a conspiring whisper, "There's a secret ingredient. Let's see if you can guess what it is!"

Her excitement was infectious. We sat down and spooned the savory dish onto our plates. Poncho started sniffing around the table now, hoping for a hand out, I was sure. In two seconds, he leaped into Eleanor's lap and zeroed in on each bite she took. It seemed his eyes were twice as big as his little body. Eleanor completely ignored him.

"Oh, Bella, I've wanted to talk to you. I'm planning on visiting my sister in Miami next week. We're going on a cruise. Can you dog sit for me?"

"Sure, Eleanor. I'll be happy to. When are you leaving?"

"I was thinking this Friday. I'll leave you my keys so you can get into my house if you need to. I'll bring Poncho's overnight case here that morning and leave instructions in a note."

"Sounds good," I looked down at the little dog that could care less that he was going to be my roomie next week. He was focused on Eleanor's dinner in front of him. I was glad to see that he hadn't tried to grab some from the plate. Eleanor continued to ignore her dog's silent pleas. I doubt I could be so hard-hearted.  
I had to admit, though, the arroz con pollo was delicious. Tender chunks of chicken were mixed amongst a hefty portion of yellow rice - and peas, interestingly enough. I was practically inhaling the stuff.

"So kids, guess what the secret ingredient is in the dish!"

"This is so good Eleanor. I can't guess the secret ingredient, though," I said.

Edward was gracefully shoveling his dinner in his mouth. How can a person shovel food in his gob gracefully? Well, I guess his new girlfriend was so enamored of him she'd find anything he did wonderful. He went back for seconds before I was half-way through with my first helping.

As Edward dumped more food on his plate, he said to Eleanor, "Man, this is great. I have no idea what the secret ingredient is but whatever it is, I'm liking it."

Eleanor leaned forward and whispered, "You ready to know? It's BEER!"

She was hopping in her chair with excitement. "There's a whole can of beer in there. Budweiser – the beer with the horses? Clydesdales, aren't they? You are supposed to dump one can of beer in the pot and then drink another while you cook it but that's not necessary. I did that once and forgot to put the first beer in the pot altogether but in that case, I didn't care. I am such a light weight. So, no more drinking while I cook anymore. Lesson learned. I didn't drink this time while I cooked, I promise."

We spent the rest of dinner talking about nothing in particular but it was very enjoyable. Eleanor's bubbly personality was infectious. By the time we'd finished dinner and cleaned up, it was close to seven-thirty. Eleanor and Poncho headed back across the yard to watch NCIS reruns and that left Edward and me alone again.

"So, you're my boyfriend now are you, Edward?" I put my arms around his waist and smiled up at him.

He pulled me close and hedged, "Are you my girlfriend?"

"I asked you first." I wanted to hear him call me that with my own ears. "I don't want you forced into a situation by my seriously-jumping-to-conclusions landlady."

"Eleanor can't force me to do anything I don't want to do. For the record, I would like to be your boyfriend, if you'll have me. But, you are my Miss Meteor. That's better than being my girlfriend. I've never had a Miss Meteor before." We had drifted over to the futon and sat down again, picking up the paperwork were we left off before dinner.

"What makes being a Miss Meteor better than a girlfriend?" I asked.

He looked intently at me. "Because there will only ever be one in my life."

I sighed with happiness. I liked him so much and it seemed he felt the same way about me but that reminded me of something. "Edward did you leave something on my desk this morning?"

His lips twisted into a crooked smile, "Maybe."

"So, you left a little origami box on my desk?"

"Why do you think it was me?"

"I can't think of anyone else who would."

"You think I am a random paper folding weirdo?"

"No. I thought it was sweet but I don't understand the significance."

He cocked his eyebrow at me, "I will admit there was a secret to it."

"The 'Ms'?"

"That and there was something else."

"Just a sec." I got up and went into my bedroom to retrieve the little box from where I had put it on my dresser when I got home. I was studying it as I walked back to Edward. It really was a delicate little thing.

"Well, I think the Ms may stand for 'my Miss Meteor,'" I said.

"That's pretty obvious but can you figure out what the cube signifies?" Edward put his arm around the back of the futon as I sat next to him.

I turned it gently in my hand, trying to figure out the clue. "Does it have to do with the shape?"

"It does."

"It's a square box," I mused.

"And the geometrical name for a square box is a ….?"

"A cube!"

"Exactly. And how do you write a 'cube' in mathematical notation?"

"Oh…something raised to the third, in this case, considering the Ms written on the sides, m³?"

"Yep. M³. My. Miss. Meteor." He punctuated each word with a kiss on each of my cheeks and ending up with my nose.

"So clever. And no one would know that just by looking it – apparently not even me." I gently elbowed him in the side.

He chuckled. "That's not all that is hidden. Let me show you."

He took the box and pulled out several of the flaps that had been tucked into various folds. Suddenly the box transformed into a flower. It was amazing.

There was that word again. There was no escaping it. I think this was the moment I just needed to accept it. I surrendered. My feelings for Edward were amazing just like Renée described to me all those weeks ago.  
I still wasn't going to tell her about it, though. Smug mothers were annoying.

I held the little flower box in my hand and said, "Oh Edward, it's so lovely." I studied it for a moment and then leaned in to kiss him once again. I know we had planned to do more work after dinner but this kiss ended that ambition. Soon, one kiss led to the next and then the next. I wanted to melt into him; to just be absorbed by him.

We spent the most of the rest of the evening making out like teenagers on the futon. You know, I had forgotten how good simply kissing and cuddling could be. Knowing that would be the limit of our intimacy allowed me to savor each caress, each tender look, and each kiss. Occasionally, Edward would break away from my lips and kiss my neck, and my ears. He'd caress my face, my hair and that soft look that he often got was in his eyes again as he looked back into mine.

The yearning I felt for him wasn't simply physical - I craved him. I craved his mind. I craved his heart.  
And, oh yeah… I craved his body, too, but that carnal desire was morphing into something different, bigger. If I wasn't so bowled over by it and him, I'd be scared shitless. I was really venturing outside of my comfort zone, here. I hoped I would survive.

It was getting close to ten o'clock when he left. We stood at the door and kissed for another fifteen minutes, putting off the moment when we'd be separated until the last possible second. I know I had a goofy grin on my face when I finally waved good night to him as he backed out of my driveway. Eleanor had given up any pretense that she wasn't snooping. Tonight, she was standing at her kitchen window with the light on behind her, plainly visible to the both of us. I waved good night to her, too, and went back inside.

I sighed as I looked at the unfinished work I still had to do and went over to try to get it down to a manageable amount. I worked for another hour until my yawns threatened to kill me, so I packed it up and got ready for bed. I set my alarm clock an hour earlier than I usually did, so I could go into work early and get some more done before school began the next morning.

How in the world was I going to manage my teaching, my endorsement coursework, and my boyfriend at the same time? I truly had no idea. I hoped Edward did.

The next morning, I was able to get to school early to try to catch up on the work that Edward distracted me from doing the night before. There was no one in the building yet, except Robert who was unlocking the outside doors. He said a cheery hello when he saw me.

I worked steadily away, trying to get as much done as possible when Edward popped into my room.

"Good morning, lovely lady." His smile warmed the cockles of my heart.

What was a cockle? Isn't it a type of shell fish? I was going to have to study the etymology of that saying. It certainly didn't feel like I had little bivalves in my chest. That would be gross and feel grosser. What I felt was much better than that, maybe like little fuzzy bunnies.

Oh, shoot. He had been saying something while my mind was off in crazy land.

"I am sorry, Edward. I missed what you said."

He chuckled and came closer to me and said, "We are alone in the building for the moment. I wanted to say good morning to you properly."

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. "Good morning, my Miss Meteor."

He was still leaning over me, so I reached up and pulled his head down to my face and kissed his lips. "Good morning, my Edward."

His eyes sparkled in delight and he said, "I like that. I really do."

He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled down at me. "Out of curiosity Bella, where does your mind go?"

"My mind go? What do you mean?"

"Sometimes when we are in the middle of a conversation, you'll get this dreamy look on your face. I can tell you aren't with me at that moment. Where do you go? What are you thinking about?"

My cheeks reddened like apples but I answered him honestly. "I have to admit something to you, Edward. I probably should have told you this a few nights ago, just in forewarning and give you a chance to back away. My mind is a crazy place."

He snorted in wry humor and just repeated, "Your mind is a crazy place?"

"Yes. I'll be in the middle of a conversation and something strikes me funny and I start veering off into space thinking about it."

"What were you thinking about just now?"

"Oh." I went from apple red to beet red. "When I saw your smile as you came in my doorway I thought that it 'warmed the cockles of my heart.' Then I started wondering what a cockle was. It's some sort of clam, isn't it? And why does the saying denote an overwhelming sense of happiness and joy? It isn't logical. Then, I thought I'd better look it up and find out. See, crazy place." I pointed at my head shook it in embarrassment.

He just looked at me with a soft smile on his face and warm look in his eye and he shook his head. "You're not crazy, Bella. You're amazing."

OH SHIT. This needed to stop. Renée get out of my head.

"And just so you know, my heart cockles are warmed by you, too," he added.

We heard footsteps in the hallway at that moment, so he straightened up and stepped away. It was a good thing he did because a few seconds later Dr. Molina knocked on the door and came in.

"Oh, good. Mr. Cullen and Ms Swan. Glad to find both of you at the same time. There's an emergency PTC this morning at eight sharp in my conference room. I'll need both of you there. I'll have someone watch your classes."

Edward asked, "A Parent-Teacher Conference? About which student?"

He looked regretfully at the both of us. "It's about the detention and referral you wrote on Lauren Mallory yesterday and her parents are coming in loaded for bear."

AN:

Of course George Harrison, of the Beetles, wrote "Something" (I used a longer title so you'd know what I was writing about). He wrote this for his wife, Patti Boyd, who evidently had a little something something going on because he and Eric Clapton both were married to her. There must have been no hard feelings though, because there's actually a youtube video of George and Eric performing Something together long after Patti was finished with both of them. That's pretty amazing. She has a biography out now. I ought to read it.

You can actually make an origami box rose. There's demonstrations on Youtube, if you're interested.

I actually did get this recipe from a real Cuban

Arroz con Pollo  
Stew one chicken (not too much water, just enough to cover chicken) until meat is almost cooked. Pull skin and meat off of bones. Dispose of bones and skin. Strain juices from pan. Take one cup of rice, one cup of the liquid (juices) left over from cooking the chicken, a pinch of saffron, a teaspoon of salt one 12 oz lager beer and add to large skillet. Bring liquid to a boil, then cover and turn heat to simmer. After ten minutes add chicken that has been cut into bite-sized chunks. Re-cover. After ten more minutes add frozen peas (the recipe calls for a can of peas but I hate canned peas, so I use about a ten ounce frozen package.) Re-cover.  
Take lid off after a total of 20 minutes cooking the rice. If there is still too much liquid, let it cook down until liquid is evaporated. If there is no more liquid, the dish is ready.

Again, thanks to Kris for her stellar betaing. If there's mistakes here, it's because of me, not her.


	14. Chapter 14 Intensifying

Chapter 14: Intensifying

_To increase in power or strength._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 26th. High 91 F, Low 77 F Barometric Pressure 28.98 inHg, Thunderstorms._

Both Edward and I watched Dr. Molina walk out of the room. I turned to Edward with what must have been a panic-stricken look. He smiled, "Don't worry, Miss Meteor. You've done nothing wrong."

"From what I understand, it doesn't matter in this case. Her parents are used to getting their way."

"That's true but, while Dr. Molina can be political, he won't let them bulldoze us. Just bring Lauren's grade printout, a copy of the detention, any other documentation you have and only answer the questions you are directly asked. Try not to take anything personally. They don't know anything except what their daughter has told them and who knows what that was."

"Okay. I'm so glad you'll be there with me."

He winked at me. "I am, too. Don't worry. We're in this together."

He left to get his things organized and I tried to do the same. I printed out a hard copy of Lauren's grades and the introductory paper Lauren wrote, as well as my copy of the detention she earned yesterday, and the anecdotal report of the incident I wrote up concerning it. My first class went by smoothly but that was probably because Lauren wasn't there to cast a pall over the place. My second period students arrived for class and after they got to work, an office aide came in to sub for me while I was at the meeting.

I walked down to the front office feeling as though I was on my way to the gallows. When I went into the Principal's conference room, Dr. Molina was already there.

"Did you bring any documentation with you?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." I handed him my paperwork and he read it over silently.

When he was finished he handed it back to me. "You've done well, Ms Swan. I'll do most of the talking today. Don't worry. I've dealt with these people in the past and I know how to handle them. They'll try to make you defensive and you have absolutely nothing to feel defensive about."

I sat down at the table and tried to calm my nerves. Hopefully, I wouldn't have to say much. Edward came in at that moment with the Mallorys right behind him.

Dr. Molina was all welcoming. "Hello, John and Becca. So glad to see you. Please have a seat." He shook their hands and nodded pleasantly at Lauren.

Edward took the seat next to me and shot me a reassuring smile. I smiled back, trying to appear the opposite of what I actually felt.

Once everyone was seated, Dr. Molina began, "Let me introduce my staff. This, of course, is Mr. Cullen. You'll remember him from past years as he was Lauren's English teacher. Beside him is Ms Swan. She is Lauren's English III teacher this term."

Mr. and Mrs. Mallory didn't even look in my direction, while Lauren's looks were sullen. I simply smiled pleasantly at her. She was such a little beyotch.

Dr. Molina said, "So, how can we help you today, Mr. and Mrs. Mallory?"

"We want Lauren's English teacher changed," Mr. Mallory demanded.

Lauren added, "To Mr. Cullen's English class."

I had a revelation. If Lauren was no longer in my class, my problems would be over. I thought that was a perfect solution. I looked hopefully at Dr. Molina but he said, "Why do you want Lauren pulled from Ms Swan's class, John?"

"Because this young woman is not qualified to be an English teacher. Our daughter is bright and we want her in classes with competent teachers. This is the year she starts taking her college boards * and we don't want her future blighted by an incompetent teacher."

Oh, Lord. It looked like the asshat parade was in town.

"I assure you, John, Ms Swan is extremely competent and an excellent instructor. If Lauren was willing, she'd benefit greatly from being in her class."

"Is she a certified teacher?" Mrs. Mallory asked.

"The state of Florida requires extra endorsements for English teachers but they are in areas that do not affect Lauren's education- teaching non-readers and non-English speaking students. As you know Becca, since you were a teacher once yourself, no teacher is permanently certified in Florida during their first year here. Florida has its own certification process that Ms Swan is currently participating in. However, she is highly qualified and fully competent in the areas she will be teaching your daughter. I selected Ms Swan out of hundreds of applicants for her position and recruited her to move here from Washington State. We are extremely fortunate to have her at Parma High and your daughter is fortunate to be in her class."

Wow. I was impressed and surprised by Dr. Molina's defense.

Mr. Mallory said, "Then why has our daughter come home complaining every day since the first day of school?"

I could answer that! Because Lauren is a spoiled, rotten brat and isn't interested in learning English as much as she's interested in drooling over Mr. Cullen, who incidentally is my boyfriend. Eat One, Mr. Mallory.

Of course, I just sat there and didn't say anything. I simply tried to look highly qualified and competent and totally unaffected by the raging assholes sitting across the table from me. I felt Edward's leg bump against mine under the table. It was reassuring - and sort of sexy. That got me thinking of other things completely inappropriate to have in mind during this meeting. I pressed my leg back against his. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him bite his bottom lip. Maybe he was thinking of other things, as well.

Dr. Molina asked, "What specifically has Lauren been complaining about?"

Mrs. Mallory spoke up then, "She says that Ms Swan is unfairly targeting her, has no control over her class and is an ineffective teacher. My daughter has always earned high marks in English and at this time she's barely passing."

"Let's address each complaint individually," Dr. Molina said. "First off, how is Ms Swan unfairly targeting your daughter?"

Mrs. Mallory sniffed, "This is Lauren's third year at Parma High and until Ms Swan's discipline referral yesterday, she has never had a problem."

Dr. Molina responded, "Actually, Ms Swan wrote a lunch detention for Lauren's tardiness and insubordination yesterday. Not quite as serious as a referral but an appropriate consequence for being late and showing disrespect."

"Disrespect?" Mrs. Mallory asked as though she was surprised.

"Yes. Lauren behaved disrespectfully. She was rude and she lied when Ms Swan asked her point blank if Mr. Cullen wrote the pass. Lauren is lucky she didn't suffer worse consequences.

Edward spoke up, "Actually, Mrs. Mallory, I was the one to write Lauren a referral yesterday. I was very surprised at having to do it but the violation she committed was pretty serious." He pushed the note Lauren forged across the table so that her parents could see it. Lauren looked hurt to hear that it was actually Mr. Cullen who wrote the referral.

"Just before first period started yesterday, Lauren was in my room which is next door to Ms Swan's. I warned her not to be late to class but she continued to loiter. When the tardy bell rang, she left. I didn't think anymore about it until after that class was over. Ms Swan came to me and showed me that note you have there. As you can see, it is a pass to Ms Swan's class and supposedly signed by me. However, I never signed a note for Lauren. I had no choice but to write her up for forging my signature."

"Lauren, did you forge this note?" Mr. Mallory demanded.

"I…I…I don't know."

"You don't know? Where'd you get it, then? Who signed it? It wasn't Mr. Cullen."

Lauren didn't answer.

Dr. Molina interjected, "Forgery is hard to overlook. School policy for that offense is five days of Out Of School suspension."

"But that will hurt Lauren's chances for college!" Mrs. Mallory moaned.

"Becca," Dr. Molina asked, "are you trying to imply that your daughter was not in the wrong for forging Mr. Cullen's signature and she doesn't deserve consequences for it?"

"We haven't ascertained that she did forge his signature."

Okay. So this lady probably also believed that Denial was a river in Egypt?

"Lauren, did you forge Mr. Cullen's signature?" Dr. Molina asked directly.

There was silence for a long while, then Lauren said, "I was just trying to help."

"Help? Help who?" Dr. Molina asked.

"Mr. Cullen was busy and I didn't want to disturb him, so I helped him by writing my own pass."

"Lauren, you've been in school for eleven years, you know better than that. You also know better than to expect us to believe you," Dr. Molina said.

Edward spoke again, "Besides, Lauren, at the beginning of class yesterday my students were doing seat work. I wasn't lecturing, so your excuse that I was busy won't wash. I am positive that you knew I wouldn't write you a pass and perhaps you weren't counting on the very competent Ms Swan to check on it."

Ha, ha! Edward called me competent. I bumped his leg again. Actually, I rubbed it with my leg - sensuously. I saw his lips quirk just a bit.

"So, Lauren has admitted to forging Mr. Cullen's signature. Now let us go on to your next point; you say Ms Swan has classroom management problems?"

"That's what Lauren has said," Mr. Mallory responded.

"Lauren, give me an example of a time that Ms Swan's class was not on task."

She paused a bit and then said, "Uhm. I can't remember."

"We've only been in class for two days, Lauren; surely you can remember specific incidents that have occurred that would indicate that Ms Swan is not in control of the learning environment in her class room."

She was silent.

"I think we'll give that a pass as you cannot come up with specific examples. Let's move on. Becca, you say that Lauren's not doing well in Ms Swan's class so far?"

"Yes. She currently has a D minus,*" Mrs. Mallory said again.

"Ms Swan, how many graded assignments have you given so far."

It was my turn to speak, "Just one."

"And what was it?"

"A letter of introduction. I gave my students examples of letters of introduction that people used in throughout history and asked them to introduce themselves to me in the same manner. It was a way for me to get to know them as individuals and also for me to assess their writing abilities."

"What did Lauren earn on that assignment?"

"She earned a D minus as Mrs. Mallory indicated. I returned the graded papers yesterday and gave my students a chance to remediate, if they wished. Lauren chose not to."

"I can't believe her writing was so poor that you only gave her a D minus," Mr. Mallory said.  
I said nothing more. I just passed a copy of Lauren's paper to everyone at the table. "Here is a copy of her assignment. Here is the rubric I used to evaluate it."

I knew Lauren's words would speak more loudly than anything I could say.

_Dear teacher that I won't do any work 4,_

_The only thing you need to no about me is that 1 day I'm gonna have Mr. Cullen's babys._

_Lauren Mallory CULLEN_

There was a silence at the table as everyone digested what Lauren had written. I had written a few suggestions in the margins as I was grading it: 'I hope that one day you and I will enjoy working together.' 'Using the numbers 1 and 4 in place of one and for, is not considered appropriate outside of texting, and even then...' 'In this case the word is know, not no – they are homonyms. They sound the same but have different meanings.' 'Gonna should be going to.' 'The pural of baby is babies."

I didn't comment on the substance of her letter except to write, 'I would like to learn more about you, Lauren. For instance, where were you born? What are your hobbies? What's your favorite book and why? Tell me about your family.'

I actually wrote more in my comments than she had written when she did the assignment.

Dr. Molina said, "Lauren, you do realize that this letter fell far short of the mark. I am surprised Ms Swan could find enough points to give you a passing grade. I certainly don't understand why you didn't redo the assignment and take advantage of the chance to earn a better score."

Then the principal leaned back in his chair and said with a stern look, "Besides, I'm appalled that you'd write about something so ludicrous. What were you thinking?"

"I want to be in Mr. Cullen's class."

I was beginning to think there was something seriously wrong with Lauren's brain.

"The last class you should be in is Mr. Cullen's. Besides he's teaching seniors this year and you're only a junior."

"I don't care."

"The state of Florida would care. You can't take a senior level course before you have passed the junior level course. If you did, you wouldn't graduate according to state standards. I will not permit you to jeopardize your diploma."

"Can't Lauren do independent study in Mr. Cullen's room?" Mrs. Mallory asked.

Dr. Molina looked incredulously at the woman and said, "After the unhealthy obsession your daughter has admitted to, you still want her to be in Mr. Cullen's class? I'm really surprised at you, Becca."

I later learned that Dr. Molina and Mrs. Mallory went way back. They had been students together at Parma High years ago.

"We know Mr. Cullen's a good teacher," Mr. Mallory said.

"He is one of my best teachers but I wouldn't put him in that position. As a matter of fact, I think Lauren having a class on the second floor of building two is too much of a distraction for her and would feed into her evident fantasies. I am going to move her into another English III class on the first floor of that building. Do you have any more questions?"

Mr. Mallory hadn't said much since he read Lauren's paper but he was very red in the face. He looked at her and said, "Did Mr. Cullen ever give you any indication that your 'having his babies' was even possible?"

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. The worst thing that could happen to a teacher was occurring right in front of my eyes, and to my Edward. He was being indirectly accused of inappropriate behavior with a student. And this asshole father was going to put credence into everything his lying daughter said about it. Oh. Shit.

But maybe the saints and angels were listening because Lauren looked at her father, then looked abashedly at Edward and then looked down at the table top, "No, he never did."

Dr. Molina spoke then, "So why did you write such an absurd statement on your English assignment?"

"Because I was mad that I was in Ms Swan's class and I wanted her to know that Mr. Cullen was mine."

Oh, shit for another reason. How did she figure out my attraction for Edward so quickly?

Dr. Molina scribbled on a pad of paper as he said, "I am writing a note to your guidance counselor to have you switched from Ms Swan's class to an English III class that meets on the first floor of building two. Also, I am assigning you five days of out-of-school suspension for forging Mr. Cullen's signature. If you write Mr. Cullen an apology for forging his signature and Ms Swan an apology for your insubordination, I will cut it down to two days."

He went on to say, "You know Lauren, it is impossible for you to consider Mr. Cullen in this romantic light. You're a student, he's a teacher and I've never met a more professional educator in my whole career. He would never consider you in that light. Never. He knows and you should understand there's a huge difference between a student and a teacher that forbids the sort of relationship that you are fantasizing about. I want you to understand this and put your ridiculous, childish expectations out of your mind entirely. Now, teachers can have the kind of relationship that you envision because they are equals, peers, but not students and teachers."

Dr. Molina's glance shot between me and Edward and my heart stopped. What did he know? Had Eleanor broadcast our status to the world already? Did she have Facebook? No that couldn't be, she didn't even have internet service before I moved in.

Lauren listened to this with her head bowed and her bottom lip jutted out. I wasn't sure that she was buying what Dr. Molina was saying.

I know I didn't breathe during the last part of this interaction and I was beyond ready for this meeting to be over.

Dr. Molina turned to the Mallorys and asked if they had any more comments or questions. They seemed to be embarrassed over their foolish daughter and so they quietly got up and left. There wasn't any kind of apology from them for Edward or me, not that I was actually expecting one. I watched them walk out of the room and drag Lauren, who was now crying, with them.

Edward and I soon followed. We walked most of the way back to our rooms in silence but when we entered our hallway, Edward turned to me and said, "That was rather interesting."

I said, "It was horrendous." I suppose the shock of it all had worn off and tears welled in my eyes.

"Oh Bella, it's all okay."

He looked around and pulled me into Diane's classroom that was unoccupied at the moment. She had mentioned something about taking her classes to the library. Edward shut the door and gathered me into his arms. "Don't be upset. You did fine and they took Lauren out of your class which I think was a bonus." He reached over to Diane's desk, pulled a couple of tissues out of her dispenser and handed them to me.

Taking them and dabbing at my eyes, I said, "No, Edward. The things her father was inferring about you – that's what has me so upset. How could he even think such a thing?"

He shrugged. "How could Lauren think such a thing? She's been indulged ever since she was a baby and doesn't understand the meaning of the word 'no.' Her father was looking for a reason to justify her execrable behavior. It all ended about as well as it could. I will just make sure I am never in Lauren's vicinity again."

"Dr. Molina handled everything well, I thought."

"Yeah. He's a good guy. Now, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you so much, Edward." I smiled at him.

He reached up and touched my cheek, "What are your plans after school tonight?" he asked.

"I was hoping to spend some time with my boyfriend."

His eyes glinted in pleasure and he squeezed me, "That sounds like a good plan. How would you like to have dinner over at my apartment? Rosalie's fixing steaks and she suggested I bring you."

"Wow! That sounds great. Er… I can bring the coffee." I smiled, slightly ashamed at the still shrunken condition of my larder.

"That's great. That was good coffee last night. I can see why your Seattle friends gave it to you."

Suddenly, my heart was filled with an incredibly intense feeling. Were my cockles warming up again? I gazed up at Edward, knowing that my cockle-warmed heart was in my eyes. "Edward, you make me so happy."

"The feeling is mutual, my Miss Meteor," and he leaned down and kissed me. It was delicious - pure joy, and also I have to admit, plenty of desire, too.

"I don't think we're acting very professionally right now," I whispered.

"Well, sometimes our relationship has to take precedence."

"Are we going to tell our students?"

He shook his head, "It's best to leave it in our private lives. Kids get squirrelly about this sort of thing."

I nodded. I really didn't want anyone gossiping about us but that probably was an impossible hope. "It was weird how Dr. Molina looked at us when he was talking about teachers having a relationship."

"That's because he knows about us."

"He knows!" I was shocked.

"He's no gossip, Bella. But when I recognized how I felt about you, I told him. I thought he should know since I am your department head."

"When was this?"

"Within a day of learning that my Miss Meteor was also Ms Isabella Swan, the new English teacher in my department."

Oh, so he spoke to Dr. Molina soon after he met me?

"Was he unhappy?" I asked.

"No. He wished me luck." Edward was grinning now and I believe I grinned back at him.

"We'd better get back to professional behavior, Mr. Cullen."

"Yes. Diane's class is going to be back soon and I'm sure our classes are wondering where we are."

We quickly went back to work. The rest of the day passed smoothly. I had lunch duty again and this time I brought some of my papers out with me to grade. It was pretty quiet in the bus loop and I got a lot done. When I returned to my room for my planning period, I saw a folded note on my desk:

_Dear M³,_

_I have a brilliant idea. Instead of you driving over to my place, I will pick you up at 5:30 this evening. That way, we can spend more time together. Maybe we can make a little detour on the way back from dinner and take a walk on the beach? There's a full moon tonight. I want to share it with you._

_Love,_

_Edward_

He wrote 'love!' My heart leaped.

Stupid heart. I wished it would quit over-reacting. I was worse than a middle school girl with a crush on Justin Bieber. He wrote dear, too, but then so did Lauren in her letter, so I wasn't putting much stock in that.

I decided to wear a sun-dress that evening. I wanted to be as pretty as I could be for him. I took extra time with my makeup and hair and I put on my favorite perfume. As I checked my reflection in the mirror, I was pleased that I looked passable.

When Edward arrived at my house, I lured him in for a moment because I …well, I couldn't keep my hands – and lips – to myself any longer. The moment the door was closed, I threw myself at him. Honestly, being held in his arms was heaven. Kissing him was bliss. He grinned down at me, with those beautiful soft eyes and my heart pounded in my ears.

And then I did it. I did a stupid thing. I did the dumbest thing I could've ever considered doing. But I was overwhelmed with emotion so my mouth jumped into gear before I realized I was even talking. "Edward," I said, "I'm so in l…l…like with you."

WHAT DID I ALMOST SAY?

Oh, shit. My heart was full, yes, but now my stomach was queasy. I was really… crazy. I'd never said 'I love you' to any guy in the past but I'd never felt this way before, to be honest. It made me feel incredibly vulnerable and needy and mortified. I looked up at him aghast at my verbal fumble.

Edward held me closely and smiled, "Bella, I'm so in l…l…like with you, too."

He was teasing me. I know my face was aflame and I'm sure my eyes looked panicked. He immediately picked up on it. "Bella, don't be scared. I'll never hurt you, not on purpose. If I ever do, tell me and I'll do whatever it takes to fix it. Don't be afraid of this – of us. We're in it together."

He said the same today at school before we went into the Mallory meeting. I guess he meant it more ways than one.

"It's hard not to be scared, Edward," I whispered.

"Yeah, but it's good to know we aren't in it alone, you know?"

He hugged me tightly and held me out to look me over. "You are so beautiful, my Miss Meteor. If Rosalie wouldn't kill us both for ruining her dinner, I would be tempted to stay here a little longer enjoying our alone time but I value my gonads a little too much."

Laughing, he led me out to his car and soon, we were climbing the stairs to his apartment.

When we got inside, Rosalie was standing in the doorway of the kitchen staring at the television that was on in the living room. She waved the wooden spoon she was holding at us in greeting and then turned back to the weather report that had got her attention.

"…it looks like the Gulf Coast of Florida may be in for some rough weather next week. The tropical storm now hovering in the gulf is showing signs of intensifying and I predict that by tomorrow it will likely be upgraded to become Hurricane James."

* * *

**AN**

**College Board Exams measure a student's academic achievement and are one of the factors used by post- secondary educational institutions to admit or reject potential students. The two most popular exams are the SAT and the ACT.**

**Grading. I hate grading/grades because they really DON'T give you a good idea of exactly what level the student is functioning at. This is hypothetically what it stands for: A is excellent work. B is very good. C is average. D is below average and F is failing. In our school system there are percentages associated with the letters. A 90-100, B 80-89, C 70-79, D 60-69 and below 60 is failing. I realize I could write a diatribe on student assessment but I won't. Parma High's AN aren't supposed to be my soap box.**

**A Rubric is a quantifiable rating system to follow when evaluating something.**

**Out of School Suspension – OSS. The most severe form of punishment that schools can inflict short of expulsion. The student is not allowed to make up work missed and it impacts their grades during that time. Usually punishments are plug and chug, i.e; you commit this offense, you serve that punishment.**

**Thanks to Kris, my wonderful friend and beta who weeds my garden of words here.**

**And thanks also to QuantumFizzx who wrote ****_The Plan_****. She gave me encouragement when I truly needed it. :)**


	15. Chapter 15 Cyclone

Chapter 15: Cyclone

_An area of low atmospheric pressure that has a closed_  
_circulation. Cyclones (or more commonly called 'low pressures')_  
_usually bring about marked changes in the weather._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 26th. High 91 F, Low 77 F Barometric Pressure 28.98 inHg, Clear night skies._

"Hurricane?" I said in a worried voice. Edward and I had just caught the end of the TV weather broadcast as we entered his apartment.

Rosalie turned to us and said, "It looks like it."

Edward asked her, "Did they predict a path?"

"I didn't catch it if they did." She headed back into the kitchen as Edward went over to a lap top that was sitting on the coffee table.

"Can I help with something, Rosalie?" I asked following her into the kitchen.

"Oh, no. I've got it all under control. I like to cook but it's no fun cooking for one. I figured I'd better invite you over here since Edward is never home anymore. Otherwise, I'd just have to wait until my fiancé comes back before I can cook again."

I believe I was blushing. "I'm sorry."

Rosalie laughed. "Oh hon, I'm just teasing you. I'm glad about you and the priest." She jerked her head in Edward's direction.

I blinked and heard Edward moan, "Rosalie…"

"Oh come on, Edward. You may as well have been a priest for all the socializing you've done since you came to Parma."

Edward just grunted as he stared at the laptop screen, "If I wanted expose Bella to embarrassing revelations, I would've flown her up to Chicago to meet my mom."

He added, "Besides me being scarce gives you and Emmett more alone time to Skype-Sex."

"Oh, Edward! We don't do that…much." Rosalie went back to cooking.

Edward snorted and studied the screen again, "Well, it looks like Parma is under a tropical storm watch."

That didn't sound too scary; we'd been through something like that before since I moved down. I walked over to where Edward was sitting on the sofa looking at his laptop. "Not a hurricane watch?"

"No. They won't call it that until the storm's winds get up to a constant speed of 74 miles per hour. That's what makes it a hurricane."

"Constant winds?"

"Yes. Not just gusting winds; a continual blow."

"Wow. That's pretty windy."

Edward chuckled. "Yeah. Well, there's a long way between where it is now and where it will hit land. They'll constantly update its projected path but that always changes. It probably won't be anywhere near us when it actually comes ashore."

"Have you ever been through a hurricane?" I was still a little worried.

"No, actually I haven't. Rose, have you been through a hurricane before?"

"Well, Andrew passed to the south of us when I was about eight or nine but we just got a lot of wind, rain and some trees uprooted. It was really bad over in Dade County, though. Parma was directly hit back in the sixties by Hurricane Donna but nothing since. Back in those days, it was a sleepy little town, probably a tenth of the size it is now. There's no telling what would happen now if we got hit."

She set some platters on the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room and smiled at us, "Come on, dinner's ready."

We sat down at their dining room table after filling our plates.

"This looks delicious, Rose," I said.

"Thanks," she responded. "It's Emmett's favorite meal; steak, potatoes, more potatoes and maybe some bread. I included the salad for sane people who realize you can't live off of meat and starches." She looked fondly at her plate as if she was thinking about something, or someone else.

"Emmett eats vegetables sometimes."

"I don't consider sautéed mushrooms vegetables, Edward. They're a fungus," Rose said disdainfully.

Edward chuckled and looked over at me, "Emmett is in Afghanistan with the army. He'll be back in June."

"And we're getting married in July," Rose smiled as she added that.

"That's wonderful, Rose. Congratulations."

"It's been a long time coming. Emmett and I were high school sweethearts. We broke up when we went off to college but after I graduated and started teaching here, I ran into him on the beach one day when he was home on vacation. We just picked up from where we left off but without the teenage drama."

I looked at Edward and asked, "And you and Emmett were roommates in college?"

"Yep. He was a year ahead of me. I used to come down here with him on spring break and I fell in love with the place. That's how I ended up here."

The steak was delicious as was everything Rosalie fixed that night. I also was really thankful for my new friends – and boyfriend. Without their help, I would have had no choice but to live off ramen noodles and cereal this week. We chatted about the school year start up and I heard things from Rose's perspective. Evidently, she felt the freshman class this year was a little feisty.

She took a sip of her wine, "Edward, how did that PTC go with the Mallorys?"

"Pretty well, all things considered. The Mallorys got what they wanted, we got what we wanted and Lauren didn't get away with the shit she was trying to pull."

Rosalie looked surprised, "Really? That's amazing. Usually, teachers end up being drawn and quartered when the Mallorys get involved."

Edward looked at me and smiled. "Due to Ms Swan's excellent record keeping, there was nothing they could do. We had documentation for everything in Lauren's own handwriting and there were a few things the Mallorys didn't know about before they got there."

"Really, Bella? Way to go!" Rosalie looked impressed. She asked me, "What didn't the Mallorys know?"

"Well, for one, Edward was the one to write the referral, not me. Lauren couldn't deny that she forged the pass when it was right there in front of everyone. Then, I just simply showed them the paper Lauren turned in and refused to remediate. It damned her more than anything I could have said."

"Oh, really? What did she write?"

I chuckled and shot a glance at Edward, "That she was going to have Edward's babies and she signed her name as Lauren Mallory Cullen."

"No shit! What an idiot. I guess there wasn't much to say after that," Rosalie said.

"No," I agreed. "The meeting was over pretty quickly after they saw her paper. Edward, did you know Lauren had such a crush on you?"

Edward shrugged and said, "Yes, I suppose I did but she was never so 'in your face' about it. I didn't pay much attention to her except to make sure I was never alone with her."

"Edward, I don't trust her a bit," Rosalie said. "You need to be very careful with this girl. I had her as a freshman and I know she'd stop at nothing to get what she wants. She's dangerous."

"Well, I think it was evident to everyone at the meeting that she is wacked. Dr. Molina pulled her out of Bella's class, even evicted her from the hall we teach on and gave her a couple of days of OSS."

"Just be careful, Edward," Rosalie cautioned.

We were just polishing off desert when my cell started ringing. When I saw who it was, I wasn't surprised. Of course, it was Dad. He must be watching the Weather Channel more than ESPN these days.

"Bella, have you been watching the weather conditions?" There was a note of anxiety in his voice.

"Yes, Dad. We know about the storm in the gulf."

"That's no storm, Bella, that's almost a hurricane and who's 'we'?"

Oh. Shit. I slipped, "We… you know, the people who live in Parma."

"Uh huh." Dad sounded skeptical. "Well, I think you should pack up and head for your mother's."

"Dad, the storm is way out in the gulf and they aren't exactly sure where it is going to hit right now. I could be stuck on the road right in its path if I tried to get to mom's to escape it and I'd be worse off than I would be than if I stayed here. Besides, I've got my job."

"You keep an eye on that hurricane, Bella."

"I will keep an eye on the storm, Dad. I promise."

There was a pause. "So, what're you doing right now?"

Did Dad have radar or a spy satellite trained on me? He never asked that sort of question.

"I'm just finishing up dinner."

"Oh? What did you have?"

"One of your favorites: steak and potatoes." Dad was surprising me with all his small talk. Then it dawned upon me he was as bad as Eleanor. He was on his own fishing expedition. I realized this just as I took his bait.

"Thought it wasn't pay day yet and you were still living off of beans and franks?" He jerked hard on his fishing line and snagged me good.

"Uhm…" I looked desperately at Edward and Rosalie who were shamelessly listening in on my side of the conversation. "Well, I'm having dinner at some friends'."

"Oh, what friends?" He was reeling me in and getting his club ready.

"Rosalie and Edward. They teach with me at Parma." I wriggled out of his grasp a little.

"A married couple, eh?" Oh, but he was ready for it.

"Uhm, no. They just share an apartment. Rosalie is engaged to Edward's best friend." I was still desperately wriggling.

"They live together and… well, that's weird." My dad was an expert at winkling out information from reluctant people and this was a master stroke. Be accusatory and stir up the quarry's protective nature. It works every time.

"No, it isn't. They're good friends." I was pretty proud of my riposte. I didn't even notice he had reeled me in and got me over the side.

"Ah. So, tell me about this Edward fella." He had his figurative hand on me and was squeezing tightly so I couldn't slip away. I was a goner.

"Edward Cullen is my department chair, Dad." I shut my eyes awaiting his coup de grace.

Rosalie got up to start clearing away the dishes. Hearing her movement, I opened my eyes and stared at my wonderful boyfriend. Edward's beautiful green eyes gazed at me and there was a shade of disappointed surprise coloring them. He thought I was ashamed to tell my father about our relationship. I couldn't hurt him like that but he didn't know my Dad. I was caught between the proverbial rock and hard place. I was surprised that the killing blow came from a place I least expected it – my heart.

"Your department chair, eh? Must be an old man or at least middle aged."

I gave up. "Dad!"

At least there was a whole country separating us at the moment.

"No. Edward's just a little older than me. In fact," I smiled into Edward's eyes as I said the next part, "he's my boyfriend."

Silence. A victory for my dad. And I was dead in the bottom of his boat.

Then a long drawled out, "Boyfriend, eh?"

"Yes, Dad."

"You said his name's Edward Cullen?"

Crap. I did. "Yes, Dad." I could see him now in my mind's eye, sitting at his desk at the station, uniformed, mustached, and his every atom focused on what I'd told him, writing down everything on an old fashioned steno pad. He started using them for note taking in the beginning of his career and there were boxes of them in chronological order going back twenty years in our attic. You'd be surprised at how often he dusted one of them off to find some fact he'd written down years before to solve a case in the present. Dad was very, very good at what he did.

I knew as soon as we ended our conversation, he was going to fire up the LEO, FBI, and who the hell knew what else, data bases and do some research on one poor, unsuspecting Edward Cullen. By the end of a few hours, my dad would know more about Edward's history than I did.

"Okay. Watch that hurricane, Bella, I mean it."

"I will, Dad."

"And if that Jim Cantore fella shows up in your neighborhood, you get the hell out of there, you hear me?"

"Jim Cantore?"

"Yeah. He's the fool from the weather channel who goes to the damn hurricane instead of running away from it. I'd say if he shows up in Parma, that's a bad sign."

I was smiling now, "Okay, Dad. Thanks. I love you."

He gruffly answered, "Yeah. Me, too. I'll talk to you soon." And he hung up. I could tell my parting words disarmed him. While I meant it, I was hoping they would also soften his tenacity just a bit but it was highly unlikely.

I slowly shut my phone then looked back at Edward. "I hope your record is spotless."

"Why?"

"Because my Dad's going to know everything about you down to your shoe size in about twenty-four hours."

Edward laughed and got up to put his arms around my waist, "Short of a speeding ticket when I was in my teens, there's not much to find. While I was a devil in high school, I was miraculously able to steer clear of the law."

"I really didn't expect differently, Edward."

He pulled me close so that I was nestled into his chest, "I'm glad you told him."

I scoffed, "You say that now. Just wait until he hacks into your email account and calls up his fellow Chief of Police in Parma to check you out."

Edward pulled back and looked down at me, surprise on his face, "He would do that?"

"Edward, Charlie's a dad before he's a cop. I put you in the line of fire by telling him that you're important to me. I apologize to you from the start. Once he meets you, I think he'll be fine." For some reason, my brain was letting my mouth rattle on. I didn't realize the implications of what I said until Edward smiled.

"You want me to meet your Dad, Bella?"

Was it the wine I had drunk? Was it the anxiety of talking to Dad about Edward in the first place? Or, was it what my heart secretly wished for… I had no answer for him but I colored up nicely.

"Uhm, perhaps. I wouldn't be opposed to it. My Dad's a little overprotective. It makes it hard on the guys I've dated."

Edward chuckled again, "It's okay, Bella. I don't blame him a bit. You're worth protecting and I'll do anything I need to do to have you in my life."

Gulp. How could anyone be sweeter than this man? I sighed happily but still thanked God for the 3,500 plus miles between Parma, Florida and Forks, Washington.

After helping Rosalie clean up, Edward and I headed out to the beach. The sun had set and the moon was big in the western sky. It shone so brightly, you could hardly see the stars. Edward drove south along the road that parallels the beach away from where I usually went. He pulled into a beach access road that had live oaks branching over it and neatly groomed hedges that separated the road from palatial looking estates on either side of it. It was quite lovely and we were the only ones there.

"This part of town is where the wealthy have their winter homes. Since it is summer, they're largely unoccupied right now and because of that, the beach around here will probably be deserted tonight. We may have it and the moon all to ourselves." His smile and the look in his eyes gave me goose bumps as he opened my door to help me out.

The moon's silvery light made the world seem magical; even the shadows cast by the trees looked enchanted, as though little night fairies could be peeping out at us as we walked by on the sandy path to the beach. I could hear the gulf's waves shushing along the shore and it added to the dream-like aura that was being woven around us. Edward held my hand and glanced at me, a soft smile curling his lips.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

As Edward predicted, there was no one on the beach- just us, the ebony sky and the moon shining down on us. Even though there was a storm far out at sea, the gulf here was currently as calm as glass. The sand felt warm to our bare feet as it still radiated the heat from the day's sun. We walked hand in hand down the beach for a bit our toes digging into the soft sand, simply enjoying the beauty of the night and the company of each other.

I turned to look around at the splendor that surrounded us and said in a hushed voice, "Oh, look, Edward, we are casting moon shadows." Sure enough, stretched out behind us along the silken, sandy beach were our intertwined shadows.

"The way we're standing together, our shadows look like they belong to just one being," Edward said.

There was something about the way he spoke and the way he held my hands as he looked from our shadows back to me that made my heart beat so exquisitely that it almost hurt. I waited with parted lips as he lowered his head to kiss me.

The now familiar, electric fizz coursed through my body as I felt his mouth open against mine and his tongue trace the edges of my lips. Suddenly our passion was overwhelming and we were all hands and lips and tongues. I tangled my fingers in his hair and tugged him close, closer, closest. I could no longer breathe separately from him, as though our very breath should be as bound together as our moon shadows were. Our hearts beat in synchrony, my body molded to his.

I tilted my head back to give him access to my neck and felt his lips trace under my chin, along my jaw to stop at the shell of my ear. I felt his arms flex and heard his whispered sigh, "My Bella."

I was his. I knew it. I felt it. I wanted it. I needed it. I was on fire and I felt his bourgeoning desire, as well. I needed to put a damper on things, or I was afraid I was going to ravage my sweet and wonderful yet frustrating boyfriend right here on the sands of Parma beach.  
And, the more we kissed, the more I realized that really didn't sound so bad about right now.

"Miss Meteor, let's go swimming."

"Swimming? Wha...?" That came from out of the blue.

"The water's warm and the way moon shines on it, it's like an invitation."

"But we don't have swim suits with us."

I could see the sparkle in his eyes even in the moonlight, "We could strip down to our underwear. There's not much difference between them and our bathing suits anyway."

I looked up into the full moon that was hanging in the sky, a benevolent witness to our doings. It truly did seem to be inviting us to cavort in the warm gulf water.

Suddenly, I remembered something obscure that I had read by Amy Lowell, _"I am tired, beloved, of chafing my heart against the want of you … I scald alone, here, under the fire of the great moon."_

That was me, here scalding but was I really alone? Did Edward burn for me the way that I burned for him? I think I wanted to find out.

You know the cartoons where there's a devil sitting on one shoulder of the heroine and an angel on the other? Well, here's were mine showed up. When I was getting dressed this evening, I put on my best bra and panty set. It was something I'd never buy myself being sort of impractical for day-to-day wear. One of my Seattle friends had given it to me. The bra was a sheer, lacey underwire concoction that held the girls at their perky best but the panties that went with it was nothing but a thong with a little lacey panel in the front but left my ass hanging out in all its glory in the back. I knew it was likely once they got wet, it would be as if I was wearing nothing at all.

On the one side, my angel asked in a sweet, seraphic voice, "Was Edward ready for this?"

On the other side, my horny, little devil shouted, "GO FOR IT!"

What would you do?

Show of hands?

Mmmmhmm.

Me too.

So, I said, "Okay," and reached down to grab the hem of my dress and pull it over my head.

Edward, ever the gentleman, turned his back and stripped down to his boxers. I threw my dress on the sand, raked my fingers through my hair and waited for Edward to turn around.

When he did, the look on his face was priceless. "Ungh, Bella…those…"

"Not quite like my bathing suit?"

His voice was strangled, "No."

My angel was screaming at me, so I asked, "You want me to cover up?"

He gave me an even more strangled, "Noooooo."

So, I grinned impishly at him and said, "Last one in…" as I ran by him.

I think he almost fell to his knees when he saw me from behind. I am not sure. I know I heard him moan a ragged, "Damn, Bella…"

But by then I had splashed into the water. My devil was congratulating me. My angel flew away in a snit.

I swam out a little way and then turned to see where Edward was. He wasn't on the beach. My first thought was that I had scared him away and he had run back to the car but then, two seconds later he popped up out of the water right in front of me.

"Miss Meteor…you need to suffer for that," he said with a gleam in his eye.

"For what?" I batted my eyes innocently.

"You, siren. You lovely, beautiful, sexy vixen. Come here."

He reached out and pulled me into his arms and the kiss he gave me then, oh Mama… it was something to write home about but I was too busy kissing him back to do anything else. If this is what he considered suffering, I just may have to do similar things more often.

The gulf was as warm as a bath and the bottom was sandy. We were standing together in a place where the water came up to just below my breasts. The sweet, salty, passionate kisses Edward was giving me rekindled every fire that I ever dreamed of having. Needless to say, the girls were at needy attention.

He broke away and looked down at my now transparent bra, and I couldn't tell if the sound he made was one of pain or pleasure. It was a mixture of both, I think. He swept his hands down my back and this time, instead of stopping at my waist as he had always done before, he went lower and caressed my ass and squeezed it. His groaning got louder but this time I know I joined in. It was hot, so very, very hot.

He pulled me tight against his very needy body and moaned into my mouth with kisses that were bordering on desperation. With a muttered curse, he pulled me off my feet so he could stand between my legs as he kissed me down to my tonsils. Holding me tightly, he waded out into deeper water. I couldn't help but to wrap my legs around him and rub against him. He was rock hard and it felt so good and I had wanted him for so long; surely we could do this much without violating his pledge?

"Ah…my Bella…ah…" I could feel him thrusting with me. I was combusting right there in his embrace. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him for all I was worth, knowing that I was close. It wasn't like anything I'd experienced before, though. My overwhelming physical response was accompanied by an overpowering emotional one as well.

I was right on the edge of bliss and my body took over. I arched my back with my head lolling back as I tightly grabbed his shoulders. It only took two more thrusts and I'm ashamed to say, my scream as I fell over the edge was anything but quiet and dainty. It was a good thing the neighbors weren't around. They'd call the cops, for sure. And then Charlie'd find out.

As sensation was popping and sizzling through my veins in splendid passion, I had the presence of mind to wonder why was I thinking of my Dad after having the most heavenly dry hump in the universe? But then, that begged the question; is it a dry hump when you did it in the water?  
Shit, I'd better get it together. I was going to crazy town at the very moment of Edward's climax. I needed to pay attention.

It was a good thing that Edward was preoccupied and so wasn't aware of my mental field trip. I think my scream set him off and he clutched my ass as he roared himself. I was surprised to feel a hot, gushing pulse against my stomach.

His o-face was beautiful.

When it was over, he opened his eyes and gazed into mine, then rested his forehead against me.

"Oh, my Miss Meteor." He swung me around in delirious delight and kissed my cheeks, my ears, along my jaw and then finally my lips.

"Oh, my Bella." He looked down at me and shook his head, his gaze so soft, he practically glowed.

I smiled at him, knowing that my heart was in my eyes. I was afraid to speak for fear that my heart would be in my mouth as well and we had enough of that earlier today.

Edward discretely adjusted himself. Evidently, Little Eddie had freed himself from the confines of his boxers during our activities.

I had to sigh. So close, yet so far.

Edward still held me in his arms, kissed me once more and then carried me into shore. He didn't put me down until we were standing near where we had left our clothes. "I have a towel in the car, Bella. I can go get it and bring it right back if you'll wait?"

"No, Edward, we'll just walk out there together. There's no one around."

Fortunately, I was right. It had finally dawned on me that Edward and I shouldn't be walking around Parma dressed only in our wet underwear. When we got to his car, he reached into a duffle bag in his back seat and pulled out a towel, then came around to where I was standing and tenderly dried me off. The entire time his gaze caressed me as surely as his hands did.

He said, "You are exquisitely beautiful."

I know I was dazed. Here this gorgeous man whom I could hardly bear to look out without fainting from his perfection, called me exquisitely beautiful? I couldn't believe it. I shook my head slightly and said, "I'm nothing compared to you, Edward."

He pulled me into his embrace again. "Don't say that, Bella. It's not true in the slightest." He held me as though I was made of crystal and lovingly kissed my forehead.

We heard a car in the far distance and suddenly realized we were still standing there in our underwear. Edward tried to help me get my dress on but he couldn't figure out how the thing went. I've always found men to be baffled by girls' clothing for some reason.

"Edward, I'll do that. You'd better get dressed yourself."

He laughed quietly and quickly toweled himself. I shot covert looks at his chest as he dried off and when we got into the car, I said, "Watching you dry yourself reminded me of the day we met."

"Really? How so?"

"The first time I saw you, you'd just run around the track and I thought I'd never seen such a handsome man before. Then, you took your shirt off and dried yourself with it. I think that's when I became hopelessly enthralled by you."

"Well, you certainly fell for me."

I snorted and laughed, "Indeed I did. I'm glad you caught me."

"I'll always catch you if you'll let me."

I smiled tenderly at him. All during this time, my naughty little shoulder devil smoked a cigarette in sexual repletion but my goody two-shoes shoulder angel flew back to look reproachfully at me. It spurred me to ask, "Edward, are you okay with what happened?"

He looked at me like I was crazy. "Am I okay? Bella, I'm more than okay. I'm completely … well, I don't know how to put into words what I'm feeling. How do you describe the indescribable?"

He reached over, took my hand and looked earnestly into my eyes, "I'm more than okay. I'm more than happy. I'm…" and he stopped.

Then, he shrugged with a bemused expression on his face. "I can't say."

"I think I know how you feel, I don't have the words, either. But, I'm happy, too."

He kissed me goodbye at my door. Eleanor probably got an eyeful because of it but for some reason, Edward decided it would be better if he didn't come inside that night.

After I watched him drive off, I felt so light-hearted I danced around my living room doing my best Julie Andrews impersonation singing, "I Could Have Danced All Night." Or was that Audrey Hepburn?

Giggling, I took a shower and got ready for bed but I stayed up for another hour, going over some things for school the next day.

Thank God it was almost payday. I had quite a list of groceries to buy and favors to pay back. And I was going to do something nice for Edward. I wasn't sure exactly what yet but it was going to be special.

The next morning when I arrived at school, there was a single red rose on my desk.

* * *

**AN:**  
**Man, I love this poem (Bella paraphrases from it in this chapter.)**

**The Letter**

**by Amy Lowell (1874-1925)**

**Little cramped words scrawling all over the paper**  
**Like draggled fly's legs,**  
**What can you tell of the flaring moon**  
**Through the oak leaves?**  
**Or of my uncertain window and the bare floor**  
**Spattered with moonlight?**  
**Your silly quirks and twists have nothing in them**  
**Of blossoming hawthorns,**  
**And this paper is dull, crisp, smooth, virgin of loveliness**  
**Beneath my hand.**  
**I am tired, Beloved, of chafing my heart against**  
**The want of you;**  
**Of squeezing it into little inkdrops,**  
**And posting it.**  
**And I scald alone, here, under the fire**  
**Of the great moon.**

**Thanks to Kris and all my Gymboh00rs.**


	16. Chapter 16 Advisory

Chapter 16: Advisory  
_Advisories are issued for weather situations that cause significant inconveniences but do not meet warning criteria and, if caution is not exercised, could lead to life-threatening situations. Advisories are issued for significant events that are occurring, are imminent, or have a very high probability of occurrence._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 27th. High 94 F, Low 79 F Barometric Pressure 28.48 inHg, cloudy._

I trailed after my landlady as she went into her bedroom and rummaged through an assortment of scarves she had stashed in a drawer and said, "But Eleanor, they say it's going to be a hurricane soon and it's headed in our direction." I was a little desperate. The old lady was only taking the threatened hurricane seriously to the extent that she decided to leave Thursday afternoon rather than Friday morning. It was a little over a two hour drive to her sister's.

"Oh Ducks, don't worry about it. My husband grew up in Parma. He lived through Hurricane Donna and a few more before that. He knew what to do. My house and your house, as well, are hurricane proof."

I blinked at her. Was she wise or was she stupid? "You're still going on your cruise? Won't they cancel?"

"Heavens, no. We're sailing from Miami and going to Nassau. I'm going to have my hair braided with those little beads and shells in it? You know how they do? But anyway, James is in the gulf and is headed north east. Our ship will be well out of his way." She led the way back out to her kitchen and then into her garage.

"But what am I supposed to do here?"

"You just sit tight, Bella. My husband built this house right. It's the safest place in Parma. He picked out the land it sits on for a reason. All you need to do is pull down and lock the awnings, fill your tub with water, and listen to your transistor radio. Oh, and don't forget to buy a bottle of Jack Daniels. You can have your own little hurricane party. It will be fun! By the way, you may want to bring in the flamingoes and gnomes. They'd probably fly away in the storm and we'd never get them back. You know they're very desirable. Other people would keep them."

She was loco. I'd seen the aftermath of Katrina on TV. This would be the last place I was going to ride out a hurricane. My dad had been calling me twice daily since James had put Parma its sights. He was demanding that I go up to mom's to avoid the storm should it hit. I was now sending his calls to voice-mail. Sorry, dad, but you weren't helping.

"Now, if you need this, you're welcome to use it." She was pointing to a big plastic bin on a shelf in her garage. It was marked 'Storm Goodies.' "And then here's the generator. You see how it's on a dolly? Just roll it out the back door here – you have to operate it outside or the fumes will kill ya – just fire it up and then flip this switch."

She pointed to a lever near her electrical box. "You'll have power when the lights go out. Don't run your a/c if you use the generator, though, because that will soak up all the fuel pretty quickly. Just run the refrigerators and the lights from it. There's a five gallon can of fuel in the garage. Okay?"

"Okay and thank you, Eleanor."

Eleanor led me into her cluttered living room, "…so here's Poncho's overnight bag. You'll find his beddy and his teddy in it. You just put his little bowl out with the Purina and he will eat when he's hungry. He's a good boy. Aren't you Poncho poochie-woochie?" She looked down at her little dog that seemed to be giving me the evil eye at the moment. Evidently he wasn't as excited about staying with me as Eleanor believed.

We watched her get into her car. "Bye, Eleanor. Have a safe trip."

I waved as she backed out of her garage in her vintage '64 cherry red Mustang convertible. Of course, the top was down. She had a sheer red scarf wrapped around her coiffure with large, starlet sunglasses and bright cherry red lipstick. Yes, her lip stick matched the color of her car. Eleanor definitely had flair. She tootled her horn and then she was off.

I looked down at Poncho who was glaring at me. "Well, Poncho, time for dinner?"

The dog stuck his nose in the air and trotted over to my house. He made his disdain clear but it was evident that he wasn't going to turn down any food. I let him in and sat his overnight case on the table and opened it. Packed away inside was a little dog bed that I sat on the floor next to the papasan chair, a Chihuahua sized stuffed bear, a small food and water dish and a little bag of Purina dog chow. I filled the bowls up with water and food and sat it down for Poncho. He walked over to his dish, sniffed it, and then glared at me.

"That's what Eleanor said you eat. It's all I have."

He literally spun around and trotted over to where his bed was but instead of getting into it, leaped up onto the papasan chair, turned around three times and laid down.

"No, Poncho. No. That's for people. You have your own dog bed. Get down." I waved at him futilely. Poncho just lifted a bleary eye and gave me a 'screw you' look.

"Shoo, Poncho. Get down." I went over to pick him up and he growled at me, the little bastard. I wasn't getting anywhere near his teeth so I went behind the chair and tipped it forward so that the dog slid out and on to the floor. He glared at me, then turned and resignedly curled up in his own bed. I think I heard him call me a bitch under his breath.

This was going to be a fun week.

I went into my room and got changed out of my school clothes. Tomorrow was Friday and payday. I was looking forward to it. I wanted to treat Edward to a good home cooked meal. I was going to show him that Rosalie wasn't the only one who could cook.

Other than the worry over the possible hurricane and the Lauren fiasco, everything seemed to be going very well. I'd been able to keep up with my work, my classes seemed to enjoy learning from me and Edward made everything wonderful.

I sighed, remembering the rose he left on my desk that morning. It touched me to my heart. The emotions I was feeling for this man were powerful, indeed. I had found an empty water bottle that would serve as a vase and had gone into my bathroom to fill it. As I glanced at my reflection in the mirror above the sink, I was surprised at the look on my face. I looked like a girl in love.  
Maybe I was. But it was too soon, wasn't it? I averted my eyes and swallowed nervously. Why did that thought frighten me?

I kept the rose on my desk and my periodic glimpses of it during the day lightened my heart. No one asked about it, of which I was glad, but I did see Jasper frown when he noticed it there. That was sort of strange.

Alice was still trying to get Jasper's attention but it was as though he had Alice blinders on and couldn't see her. I should tell her she needed to trip and fall on him like I did on Edward and see if that worked. However, she hadn't confided in me, so I didn't say anything.

I didn't see Edward at all during the day until after the final bell rang when he came into my room to change into his athletic clothes.

He smiled at me and I was a pile of goo.

"Can I use your bathroom?" he asked.

"Of course, Edward, you don't have to ask."

He went into the small room but a few seconds later called out, "Ms Swan, did you notice something's broken in here?"

What? Had someone already vandalized my stuff? Crap.

I jumped up and hurried to see what Edward was talking about. He was standing in the middle of the bathroom as I rushed in looking for what was busted. The moment I got near him, though, he snatched me close and kissed me.

"I missed you," he said.

His kiss caught me off guard and caused me to completely forget about why he called me in there in the first place.

"I missed you, too." I pulled his face down to mine and kissed him back.

He held me close and whispered, "Oh, my Miss Meteor."

We stood there for a few moments and then I asked, "What's broken, Edward?"

"Broken? Oh, nothing that you didn't just fix." He grinned. "Sorry to ambush you like that but I couldn't wait."

I laughed, "You're going to get us caught! What if someone came in my room looking for me?"

"I guess you'd better get out, then. It would look strange if anyone saw you molesting me in here."

"Edward!" I lightly smacked him on the ass. I thought about grabbing it but…not yet.

I could see working with Edward was going to be problematic. I simply couldn't seem to keep my emotions to myself and my reactions circumspect when he was around me.

When he came out a few minutes later he smiled regretfully, "I've got conditioning practice and then a coaches meeting at the Cracker Barrel afterwards. It will probably go until about nine or ten."

"Oh." I probably wouldn't be able to see him tonight, then. I felt curiously crushed.

"Can I stop by for a few minutes after the meeting?"

Suddenly, the sun shone again. "I'll look forward to it."

He waved and left. I worked for another hour or two then went home only to be met by my colorful landlady's news that she was leaving Parma this afternoon. All in all, it was a busy day. I was glad to be home and looking forward to Edward's visit.

When I came out from my bedroom, Poncho had jumped back up in the papasan, asshole dog that he was. I tipped him out of there again and he growled the whole time. I decided to get a sheet to cover the chair. I knew as soon as I left for school the next morning he was going to be right back up there. He wasn't fooling me.

I made a bowl of ramen noodles and crackers to round out my meager meal. The damn dog appeared at my side as though I was his long lost friend. It wasn't as hard to ignore him as I thought it would be. I curled up on my bed and turned on the television so I could watch the progress of the storm. James had finally been upgraded to a hurricane but he had stalled and wasn't moving. The weatherman explained that wasn't good because the warm water of the Gulf was fuel to the storm and the longer it lingered, the stronger the hurricane would be.

Ramen noodles weren't that bad once in a while. I knocked my spoon against the side of my bowl and suddenly Poncho was on my bed drawing a bead on my dinner. "Get down, dog. Your dinner is in your bowl. Get!"

Of course the damn dog just stood there out of my reach and eyed my food greedily.

I sat my food down on the bedside table and picked up a pillow so I could herd the irritating beast off my bed. "Go, Poncho. That's my dinner. Get."

The dog ducked and weaved like a prize fighter but finally, I got him herded into the living room. I shut him out and crawled back up on my bed to finish my dinner. He started whining and scratching at the door. OMG. I hoped I didn't kill that dog before the end of the week.

I hurried and finished my dinner – which was too bad because I had kind of wanted to savor it what I had of it– and let the demon dog back in. When I took my dishes to the sink to wash them I noticed Poncho's dish was empty. That little stinker. He was acting as though he was starving for my food and he had already eaten his.

"You're a rat, Poncho," I told him as I refilled his bowl.

He just blinked balefully at me, sauntered over to his bed and curled up to sleep the sleep of the damned. I had damned him, by the way.

I worked for a few hours on school stuff and then decided to get ready for bed. I might as well get my pajamas on. They were certainly more modest than what Edward had seen me in last night at the beach, so I didn't think he'd mind.

About nine thirty, a car pulled into my driveway and soon Edward was knocking at my door.

As he kissed me hello he said, "I'm sorry to be so late, Bella. We had a lot of business to take care of but I brought dessert." He held up a to-go bag and waggled his brows at me.

Poncho evidently could understand English because he was suddenly Edward's, or should I call him, Edward the Dessert Bearer's, best friend.

"Look out for the brat dog, there. He just ate no matter how he tries to convince you otherwise."

Edward laughed at the animal, "Hey, Poncho, isn't Bella treating you well?"

Poncho blinked at Edward and tried to con him by looking miserably neglected. What a scammer. I glared at the dog, just daring him to horn in on my dessert and my boyfriend.

Edward and I sat down on the futon and he unveiled our treat: Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake.

"Oh, yum! Chocolate. That looks sinful." I know my eyes were as big as that fool dog's.

I started over to the kitchen to get some forks and plates when Edward said, "No, Bella. I've got a fork here. Don't bother dirtying dishes." He was looking at me with soft eyes again.

I sat next to him on the futon and he held a forkful out to me, "Try it."

I took the bite and the second the chocolaty goodness hit my tongue, I moaned. "So good. You always know exactly I need." I smiled at him as he took his own bite.

After he swallowed, he cocked his head at me and said, "Don't you forget that, my Miss Meteor."

"Here, come sit," Edward patted his lap and I snuggled up with my head resting on his shoulder as we shared bites of cake.

"So, chocolate cake is your favorite?" he asked.

"One of them."

"What others, then?"

"All of them. I love cake and pie and pastry. I'm a real sweet fanatic."

"Something else we have in common." He took another bite.

"We're going to get fat," I warned.

"We'll just have to work it off."

"Oh, yeah? How do you propose we do that?"

His eyes twinkled at me – see his eyes twinkled just like mine – "I have a few ideas."

He changed the subject before explaining them. "I was wondering if you would like to be the 'team mother' for our soccer team."

"Team mother? That sounds ominous."

"Actually, it isn't really. I know you can't come to many games but I also know the school requires you to sponsor some sort of extra-curricular activity. I realize you're going to be too busy to really do much but I could use some help on occasion keeping the team organized. It would get you off the hook for the sponsorship requirement."

"I hadn't even thought of that. Thank you but are you sure I won't be a burden to you? You already know I can't help as much as I should."

"Miss Meteor, you are forgetting. It is my pleasure to help you." He ended our conversation by kissing my nose.

"What time is it?" Edward asked.

Looking at the clock in the kitchen, I said, "It's a little before ten." I was licking the fudge off my lips in pure chocolaty contentment.

Edward smiled, "You missed a spot."

"Oh? Where?" I couldn't tell where the remainder was. It felt as though my lips were clean.

"Right here." And, of course, he leaned forward and kissed me. You know, I think I could kiss him 24/7. Really. With occasional breaks for more Chocolate Fudge Coca-cola cake, that is.  
I snickered, "That's the oldest ploy in the book."

"What?"

"Telling your girl that there's food on her lips so you could kiss her."

"It worked, didn't it?"

I put my arms around his neck and said, "You don't need a ploy to kiss me. Ever."

I said the last against his lips and we kissed a little more.

"I want to see the update on the hurricane that's on at ten," Edward said after a bit.

"Oh, okay. But my TV's in my bedroom. We'll have to sit on the bed to watch it."

"So, my Miss Meteor, do you trust me enough to let me venture into your boudoir?" Edward asked.

I shot him a devilish look, "The question is, Edward, 'do you trust me?'"

He stood up and grabbed my hand. "Oh, I think I can handle you."

"That's what I'm hoping," I snickered as he pulled me towards my bedroom.

We settled on my bed and I turned the TV on with the remote. Soon the distinctive swirl of a hurricane was depicted on the weather map. Sitting up at the head of the bed, I snuggled into Edward's side as we listened to the report.

"... a powerful eastward-moving mid-level trough across the central United States has turned Hurricane James northeastward and is causing it to gradually accelerate as it intensifies. Southwest Florida should begin to get ready for hurricane force winds by Sunday. Currently James is a force one hurricane but due to the extremely warm waters of the gulf, we predict continued strengthening before land fall. Hurricane warnings are issued from Marco Island north to Sarasota with hurricane watches issued for the lower keys and from Sarasota north to Spring Hill."

The weather channel changed topics and Edward turned down the volume.

I asked, "So it's a hurricane now?"

"Yeah, and it looks like we're in the middle of the warning area," he said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that our chances of getting hit are improving."

"What are you going to do, Edward?"

"Parma High is used as a hurricane shelter. Dr. Molina is the shelter manager and I volunteer to assist him there. So, I already know I will need to go to the high school during an evacuation. Why don't you come with me? We can hunker down together," Edward winked.

"That doesn't sound so bad."

Edward put his arm around me and pulled me close. "The local news comes on at 11. Would you mind if I stayed until then? I want to see if they've closed schools tomorrow."

"Closed schools?"

"Yeah. It's like up north, except we have hurricane days while they have snow days."

I chuckled and leaned in to kiss him but before our lips met my phone started ringing. I knew who it was. "I'd better get this."

Of course it was my dad.

He was no nonsense, "Bella, you must leave Parma immediately."

"Dad, where will I go?"

"To your Mom's."

"What if she's in the path, too?"

"What do you mean?"

"The hurricane just doesn't stop when it hits land, you know. It will travel across Florida and could end up hitting Jacksonville as well as Parma. I've decided to stay here. I am going to go to the shelter at my high school. I'll be with all my friends and will be safe. Okay?"

"You mean your boyfriend, right?"

"He's one of the friends that will be there, yes."

"Hmmph." I could tell Charlie didn't like what he heard.

"Dad, really, it's safer for me to stay here with people who know what they are doing and be prepared than to go to Mom's where she probably doesn't even know anything about a hurricane coming her way."

"That's true. Your mom's oblivious about most things in this world."

For the millionth time in my life I wondered how in the world mom and dad hooked up long enough to have me. They were polar opposites.

"Really, Dad. I'll be fine. I promise."

"I don't know Bella." He didn't have any cards to play in this hand and he knew it. I was an adult and I had taken intelligent measures to protect myself. Really, there was nothing he could say.

"I'll keep in touch, Dad. I promise."

"Okay, Bella. And stop sending my calls to voice-mail all the time."

"Stop calling me after each weather report, then."

He sighed long-sufferingly, "Okay, Bella. Be smart about this. About everything."

"I will, Dad. Take care, now." We ended our call.

I looked at Edward who was watching me with a very amused expression. "Your dad wishes he could just come down here and sweep you back up to Washington, doesn't he?"

"Maybe, but he knows better. I've always been sort of strong willed and independent."

"I'm learning that."

I climbed back up on the bed and reclaimed my space next to him. "Is that a bad thing?"

"I'm inclined to say no but there are times when being too independent isn't always the best thing."

"How so?" I was really surprised to hear his opinion. I valued my independence almost more than anything.

"Sometimes when you're too independent, you hurt yourself needlessly and that hurts the people who care about you."

"I think that being too dependent hurts other people."

"That's true, too. There's a happy middle ground, though. When you don't ask those who love you for help and they later realize you had been suffering, it hurts them to know they didn't do anything to help."

"I don't feel that way. I just don't want to impose or be a bother."

"Bella, you need to learn to trust."

"Trust?"

"You've got to trust that the people who love you won't hurt you when you're vulnerable and that they want to help you when you're in need."

"You believe my dad thinks I don't trust him?"

"No. I don't know your dad so I can't speak for him at all."

"Well, it's true. I can't trust my dad in some things, just like I can't trust my mother in others. My dad is always going to freak out about my safety. If there was any sort of risk involved for me, he'd veto it. But life is risky and I don't want to live in a padded cell, so I don't ask him for advice when it comes to decisions. My Mom is unreliable. I can never trust that she'll be there for me but it's not because she doesn't care, it's because she's pretty flakey. For her, it's like a disability."

"So, it's been your experience that people who love you can't be trusted?"

I thought about that for a minute. "Not always."

He didn't say anything more, just kissed my forehead and turned to watch the television. I cuddled into his side and sighed. I loved this. I loved being here, at this moment, held in his arms. My eyes drifted shut in sheer bliss and, although I didn't mean to, I fell asleep.

I woke up much later. The lamp was on, the television was running some late night movie and I was still in Edward's arms. We had shifted down so that we were lying together on top of the covers of my bed. He was sound asleep. I lifted my head to check the time and saw that it was two in the morning. For some reason, waking up in the middle of the night held in Edward's arms made me feel sort of amazing.

I shifted slightly and Edward pulled me closer. Perhaps even in his sleep he didn't want to let me go. Believe me; I didn't want to him to let me go, either. It felt not only like I was where I wanted to be, but exactly where I was supposed to be. What was happening between us? Was I in love with Edward Cullen?

His lips parted in his sleep and I was struck again at his beauty. He really did look like a Michelangelo statue come to life. His tousled hair lay in disarray on the pillow. His thick lashes fanned out on his cheeks. His high cheek bones, his strong now stubbled jaw were swoon-worthy. His brows were relaxed and his lips were just begging me to kiss them.

So, I did.

I grabbed his full bottom lip with mine and I gently sucked as I wrapped my arms around his neck to thread my fingers through his hair. Edward moaned and clutched me tighter to his chest as he kissed me back. I didn't know whether he was awake or not but I was going to go with it anyway. He turned me so that I lay on top of him.

"Am I dreaming?" he sighed, his eyes still shut.

"No, this is real," I whispered back. I kissed his neck, big open mouthed kisses, until I reached the space just behind his ear and gently sucked there.

He groaned again. "No. I must be dreaming. This is too perfect. It can't be happening." He ran his hands down my back and grabbed my butt. I guess after last night on the beach my ass was now his go to spot.

I lifted my head and smiled down at him, "It is perfect and it's real."

He opened his eyes and in sleepy confusion said, "How did I end up sleeping with you on your bed?"

"I don't know. You were staying to watch the eleven o'clock news to see if schools were closed today but I think I fell asleep almost as soon as we lay down here. Maybe you did the same?"

"I guess so. I don't remember hearing anything about school closures, so I must have."

"You can stay, if you want." I decided to tantalize him bit by sprinkling little kisses on his face and neck.

"Oh, my Miss Meteor, that's tempting…"

"Give in to temptation, my Edward."

Groaning, he rolled us over so that he was now on top. He was kissing me in earnest now, long, slow, sweet kisses that made my every nerve ending throb with want for him.

I know you're wondering about the dreaded morning breath. To tell you the truth, at this very moment, I don't think either one of us cared. This man both raised and lowered my standards at the same time. Things I used to be really finicky about didn't bother me now at all.

I moved my legs so that he rested between my thighs. I could feel him and I know he could feel me because he growled and nibbled my neck. I started rolling my hips just a little and was thrilled to feel him move with me. He kissed down my neck to the v of my tank top. "Bella, you're not wearing a bra." His voice was gruff.

My sardonic reply was, "I usually don't wear underwear to bed."

"You're wearing your pajamas?"

"Yep." I reached up to pull his lips back to mine but he resisted.

"So this whole evening, I've been holding you while you were in your night clothes?"

Not really understanding what his point was, I said, "Yes, so…?"

He choked back a snort, "My dream come true and I didn't even know it."

"Your dream come true?"

"You in your pajamas."

"That's what you dream about?"

"Well, that and other things…"

Oh, ho! Now we're getting somewhere. "You know, I bet I could make all your dreams come true." I shimmied my hips a bit to let him know what I was talking about.

He looked amused for a moment but soon his gaze became very intense and he said, "You'd better not make offers without knowing exactly what those dreams are, Miss Meteor."

I shivered for some reason and felt flummoxed. I didn't know what to say, or what he meant, so I just pulled his head down and kissed him again. Our kisses deepened as our hands explored. I think the idea that I wasn't wearing a bra made him more adventurous than he'd ever been before.

Soon, he was tracing the gap between my tank and my pajama pants and then slipped his hand up my side. My own hand was under his shirt stroking his spine and the muscles that bordered it – it was so sexy feeling them move as goose bumps rose from my touch.

Our kisses were setting off internal explosions and I felt very, very needy for him. We moved against each other building a fire that only one thing could quench.

"Oh, Edward," I whispered. "I want you so much."

His hand drifted up and over until he was tracing spiraling circles around my breast. I was aching for him to finally touch my nipple but he was holding off, either from an attempt to prolong the moment or out of a hesitancy to go there.

I was having none of that.

I gave a frustrated grunt, and pushed him up a bit so that I could eel out of my top. The girls wanted the worship they were due. When I lay there with my breasts fully exposed, he gasped, his eyes aflame and moaned, "Oh, my Miss Meteor, what you do to me."

But not two seconds later, he'd pulled off his own shirt and attacked my lips once more. The feel of his bare chest against mine was pure ecstasy. I ran my hands up his back and felt him shiver in delight. Soon, he kissed his way down and finally, after my figurative engraved invitation, ran his thumb over the peak of one as he kissed and licked the other. He hummed as he worked his magic and my hips started involuntarily bucking against him in reaction.

"Oh, oh…oh," I said, completely frustrated at my lack of verbal ability at the moment. I wrapped my legs around his waist as we strained against each other. His touch, his hips, his lips and tongue drove me wild.

"Ungh, ungh…ungh." Really, I was going to have to go in for speech therapy if my vocabulary continued to fail me at such times.

He blew on my wet nipple and whispered, "I want to watch you, my Miss Meteor. You are so fucking amazing."

He said the A word. He surprisingly said the F word, too. Maybe his vocabulary was failing him, as well.

He changed the focus of his attention to my other breast and that, with the surging of our hips, was all it took to launch me into orgasmic oblivion.

"I'm… ah … ah… AHHHHHH!" Did I sound like a moron? If so, right then I didn't care.

Smiling, he lifted his head and kissed me three times; three sweet, lingering kisses. I could barely respond. My every cell was unwound; my every nerve was happily quivering.

I felt myself falling into sleepy unconsciousness, though I tried to rouse myself enough to help Edward find his own nirvana but he just said, "Sleep, my Miss Meteor, sleep." He gathered me in his arms and soon I knew nothing but my blissful dreams.

The annoying radio alarm clock started blaring in my ear, waking me much sooner than I wanted to, "…all right Bishop County, time to start getting serious about Hurricane James. He's drawing a bead on us, just the kind of tourist we don't want. In James' honor, we're playing the oldie but goodie from your sixties and seventies rockin' station, 'Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head' by B.J. Thomas."

I had to find a different station to wake up to. I was serious.

I was lying on my side and opened my eyes to be confronted with the last thing I wanted to see; Poncho's ass. The damn dog was curled up on my pillow.

I switched on the light and called out, "Edward?"

He wasn't there.

* * *

**AN:**

**Saffir-Simpson Scale rates the intensity of a Hurricane.**

**Category One: wind speeds of 74-95 mph. Minimal damage.**  
**Category Two: wind speeds of 96-110 mph. Moderate damage.**  
**Category Three: wind speeds of 111-130 mph. Extensive damage.**  
**Category Four: wind speeds of 131-155 mph. Extreme damage.**  
**Category Five: winds speeds of greater than 155 mph. Catastrophic Damage.**

**Andrew hit south Florida in 1992 was a Four. Katrina was a Three when it hit land in Louisiana but the reason New Orleans was so devastated was because their levee system catastrophically failed, flooding most of the city. I am writing this the day before Mardi Gras. Laissez les bon temps rollez.**

**Some of you have asked if I've ever been through a hurricane. The answer: yes.**


	17. Chapter 17 Swell

Chapter 17: Swell

_A long, often massive and crestless wave or succession of waves that_  
_continues well beyond or after its cause, such as with hurricanes._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 27th. High 94 F, Low 79 F Barometric Pressure 28.48 inHg, cloudy._

Edward wasn't in my bed. He wasn't in my apartment.

Did I do something wrong? I remember blissfully falling back to sleep in his arms after he …wow… he made me feel like a natural woman…a natural woman.

Damn radio station. Now it had me singing cheesy old pop songs.

But where was Edward? A worry niggled at my heart. I shouldn't have fallen back to sleep. I should've made sure he saw a few blue birds of happiness himself; or, maybe a meteor or two. How selfish could I be? I fell asleep on him. I sucked as a girlfriend.

No, that was just the problem. I hadn't sucked.

I jumped out of bed and pulled the pillow out from under Poncho who snorted at me then hopped off the bed to saunter through the living room to the front door. I followed him and let him out. When I turned around, I saw a note propped up on my kitchen table with a deep red hibiscus blossom next to it. I recognized the flower as being from the big bush next to Eleanor's garage.

_Dear M³,_

_I was sorry to leave you while you were asleep but I needed to get home so I could get ready for school. We do have school today, by the way. I set your alarm for you. I hope I left you enough time to get ready. In case I haven't, I'll bring breakfast to your classroom this morning._

_Love,_

_Your__ Edward_  
x x x

I smiled, relieved at his note. Apparently, I didn't do anything wrong last night – or at least if I did, he forgave me for it. After all, he wrote 'Love, Your Edward' with your underlined and gave me three kisses below his signature, just like he did last night after we… he… I… did what we did.  
I don't know why I was so hesitant to label it for what it was, another dry hump – this time without the confusion of doing it in the water. Dry hump sounded so…so not what it was. The way he kissed me, the way he held me, the way he made me feel—it was like making love or at the least we made deep, sincere like.

I wanted to get to work as soon as possible, so I filled the demon's food and water dishes, made sure a sheet was covering the papasan chair and another was on the futon for good measure, and ran for the shower.

I used the shampoo bottle as a microphone and sang really badly, "You make me feel…You make me feel… You make me feel like a natural woman." I was giggly happy.

When I made my bed, I may have spent some time with my nose buried in the pillow Edward had used. I was grinning as I quickly pulled on my clothes. I brushed out my hair and simply pulled it back into a pony tail. I didn't have time to fix it this morning.

When I went to the front door to get Poncho, I saw him sitting in the middle of the driveway looking forlornly down the street. Aw, he must be missing Eleanor. Poor little thing. I called him inside. He ignored me.

What a prick.

I went back into the kitchen, got his bag of grain and shook it, hoping the promise of food would coerce him to return. The little shit looked over his shoulder at me and gave me the stink eye.  
I propped the door open, got a bowl out of the cupboard and a spoon out of the drawer and started rattling them together. Maybe Poncho would think I was eating something he'd prefer to his Purina. Sure enough, it worked. The snotty little dog trotted in as though he owned the place. He gave me the bitch-face when he figured out I tricked him into coming back inside.

I made sure all was tidy, threw on some makeup and soon was driving into the school parking lot. I saw Edward's car parked there already and for some dopey, high school girly reason, I parked my truck next to it. I couldn't help myself.

It was early, so there weren't many students around as I let myself into my room. There were no surprises on my desk and I was a little disappointed. Edward did write that he was bringing me some breakfast, didn't he?

I unpacked and started to organize my school work when Edward came into my room carrying a tray.

"Good morning, Bella." His smile took my breath away.

I was able to wheeze out, "Good morning. I am sorry that I fell asleep on you like that last night."

He shook his head as he sat the tray down on my desk, "I was glad, Bella, completely and positively happy."

We were just two smiling loons, the two of us, when Edward remembered the breakfast, "Here: coffee, two creams, one sugar, and a warmed cheese Danish."

He pulled up a chair to my desk and gestured for me to sit down.

"Sweets from my Sweet." I winked at him and fixed my coffee. "Have you heard anymore about the storm?"

"Yes. It's now a category two and still headed in our direction. I wouldn't be surprised if they let us out early today to prepare for the storm."

"Any idea on when it may hit?"

"Tomorrow evening at the earliest. It's picking up speed."

"I am surprised they didn't cancel school already."

"Me, too, but I think they believed James' course would have changed by now."

Taking a bite of Danish, I hummed. "This is good."

"Yep. I know where to get the good food around these parts."

I laughed. We were going to get fat. "Edward, I would like to invite you over for dinner tonight, please?"

"I definitely would like to be with you but it is going to depend upon storm preparations at the shelter. I am not sure when I'll be expected to report."

"Oh." I was disappointed. I had been looking forward to doing something nice for my boyfriend. But then I thought, "You'll have to eat won't you?"

"Well, yes."

"Then won't they let you out for dinner?" I smiled at him.

He pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes, they will. I'll look forward to it."

At that moment a raft of students came in the room. I recognized many of them as soccer players, including Jasper Whitlock.

"Hey, Coach. We were coming to your room and saw you were in here. Are we having conditioning this afternoon?" the big, tall guy asked.

"No, Jon. I think we'd better cancel due to the weather. I'll be helping to set up the shelter here at school."

Jasper said, "You need help doing that, Coach?"

"You can ask Dr. Molina. I am not sure where he stands on manpower but he's the shelter manager. I wouldn't be surprised if he could use some more help."

Jasper nodded then looked at me, "What are you going to do for the storm, Ms Swan?" As he asked me a couple more kids came in the room, Alice Brandon and the insane Lauren Mallory.

Alice ducked in the bathroom when she saw Jasper. I guess her nerves overcame her.

"I plan to come to the shelter, too. I live too close to the beach to stay there," I answered.

Lauren walked over to the desk were Edward was sitting.

"Mr. Cullen," Lauren said, "here." She handed him a letter. It must be the apology she had to write as part of her punishment for forging Edward's signature.

Edward tore open the envelope and read what she had written. After scanning it, he said, "Thank you, Lauren. I'll shoot Dr. Molina a note letting him know all is well."

She nodded. I figured she must have an apology for me but she wasn't making a move to give it to me. She just stood near Edward and gazed at him disconsolately. She was simply insane. I agreed with Rosalie. Edward needed to watch out for that girl.

The guys were joking with each other about going surfing while the waves were up and other stupid shit boys do when there's the possibility of death when Alice finally made her appearance. She wandered over to my desk and held out a tube of lip gloss.

"Ms Swan, I found this grape lip gloss on the sink. Is it yours?" I was sure she had stood in the bathroom for a few minutes trying to think of a way to get Jasper to notice her. Asking me a question was probably all she could come up with. I really needed to tell her about the efficacy of an advantageous stumble.

I looked at the unfamiliar lip gloss but as I had just taken a bite of my Danish, I couldn't answer at that moment.

So Edward, ever my rescuer, answered for me, "No. Ms Swan wears strawberry flavored lip gloss."

You could have heard a pin drop. I could tell when Edward figured out he had just stepped in it. His eyes grew wide and his thick brows rose in an oh, shit response. He darted a look at me but I couldn't think of anything to say to get us off the hook.

Then came the inevitable question.

"Ah, Coach?" Jon asked, "How do you know what Ms Swan's lip gloss tastes like?"

There was a thundering chorus of UMMMMMMMMMMMs, and OHHHHHHHHHHHs, and snickers, chortles and guffaws. Oh, we were in for it now. I knew I was blushing. Edward stood, shaking his head and just walked around Lauren to stand behind me, his hand on my chair but he said, "I've told you boys, I know everything."

The only two that weren't gleeful about this revelation were Lauren, who shot daggers at me as she threw an envelope on my desk and stormed out, and surprisingly Jasper Whitlock who glared at Edward and then looked at me like I had kicked his puppy.

If his puppy was named Poncho, he'd probably be right.

Fortunately, the warning bell rang and I was able to say, "I think it's time all of you got to class." They were joking and teasing as they jostled each other walking out of the door. The cat was out of the bag.

I looked wryly at Edward as he watched the kids leave, then he looked down at me and shrugged his shoulders, "I blew that one."

Oh, no he didn't. Not yet. My mind as always was rolling around in the gutter.

"You do realize your words said one thing but your body language said something else?"

"What do you mean?"

"You claimed omniscience as your reason to know what my gloss tasted like but then got up to stand behind me. You even put a hand on my chair."

Sheepishly, he took that hand off my chair, ran it distractedly through his hair and sighed, "Miss Meteor, it just feels natural to respond to you as though we were…" he stumbled to a stop.

"It does feel right, doesn't it? It's weird. We've only known each other for a month or so. Sorta scary. We go together like peas and carrots. "

He put his hand comfortingly on my shoulder and winked, "Okay, _Jenny_. If the kids ask anything, just deny it with a smile." He got my Forest Gump reference. Really, who wouldn't be in love with this guy?

"I think I can handle them."

"Good. Let's get out in the hall to shepherd our charges into class."

As soon as the tardy bell rang, Dr. Molina came on over the public address system, "Good morning. I am sure you have all been aware of Hurricane James and the possibility that he will impact our community. With the most recent update from NOAA, the school board has decided to operate schools on a half day schedule today. Each class will meet for only twenty-five minutes and school will be dismissed at noon today. Teachers and staff are required to prepare their areas for storm conditions. Parma High will open as a shelter at twelve noon tomorrow. For emergency information, tune into WPOG 1290 on the AM dial."

I had to scramble to adjust my lessons to fit the time limit. I didn't have a chance to think about much else. For most of the day, no one asked about me and Edward and that was just fine but seventh period was a different story.

Jasper's buddy, Jon, came in and said, "So Ms Swan… you and Coach, huh?"

I just gave him a neutral look and said, "Me and coach what?"

"You know…"

"No, I don't know."

"Sure you do."

I just raised my brows and tried to give him the same look as I would if he was a mental patient and I was his caretaker.

He wasn't going to quit, though, "You know… you and Coach Cullen. _You've got a thing going on_." It seemed like Jon and I listened to the same radio station.

"Now, Jon, why are you asking?"

That stymied him. "Because …"

I simply waited for an answer. There were nervous giggles from other students.

He was persistent, though, "Because… because…" He ran out of steam.

I nodded and went on, "Let's get started. We don't have much time today." And so I began the lesson. I noticed that Jasper didn't participate as much as he normally did and he didn't wait around after class to do work or talk as he had been doing. What was up with that? Perhaps he was worried about the storm.

After the students left, Edward stopped by my room to drop off a check list of things I needed to do to prepare my classroom for the storm. I quickly went through the list that consisted of disconnecting electronics and covering the teaching station with plastic sheeting. I packed up a box of stuff that I wanted to protect a little better and put it in my bathroom. After closing my blinds and locking my doors, I was free.

Edward had other duties at school but he told that he could come by my place for dinner at around six that evening but then he needed to go to his apartment to help Rosalie prepare for the storm. He further explained that he needed to be back at Parma High early the next morning to help prepare for the shelter opening at noon.

"Bella, I'll come over your house before I go to the shelter to help you get your place ready."

"No Edward, you won't have to. Eleanor explained everything to me and it's easy. I just have to lower the awnings and take in her yard ornaments. Everything else is ready. I'll meet you at the shelter as soon as I get done."

He smiled at me, then looked around at my empty room and the closed door then leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss. "I'll see you this evening, Miss Meteor. Don't go to a lot of trouble."

"Don't worry, Edward. I am looking forward to it."

My first stop was Publix. My grocery list was a mile long but apparently, everyone else had the same idea. I'd never seen so many people in one place in Parma since I arrived here. After finding a parking space on the far side of the crowded lot, I joined the throngs inside the store. I saw that Diane was there, too.

"Boy, look at this!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah. Happens every time a storm threatens. People have to stock up on toilet paper," Diane said.

"Just toilet paper?"

"It's a common denominator. They'll get other things, too, but everyone gets toilet paper. I don't know why. It's crazy."

Sure enough I looked around and every buggy had at least one package of toilet paper in it. Maybe everyone gets explosive diarrhea during a hurricane? I didn't know.

Shrugging, I turned back to Diane. "It's payday. I need to stock up on everything."

"Me, too. Will you be okay for the storm?" Diane asked.

"Yes. I'm going to the shelter at Parma High."

"Good idea. We'll probably board up and stay home. We live far enough inland."

"Have you been through a hurricane before?"

"No, not in Parma but I've been through some storms here. Everything is well organized. Just follow the instructions you're given and you'll be fine."

"Okay, Diane. Thanks." We waved goodbye and I got busy shopping.

When I finally got to the checkout counter, my cart was overflowing. I needed so much. After the cashier rang my total up, I was shocked to see that I owed over $200. That made my stomach sick. I knew I couldn't afford a grocery bill like that every two weeks. I'd have to plan better in the future. I reassured myself that this time was laying down the basics for my larder.

I got home at 2:30 and got to work. One of the extra things I bought was a leash for Poncho. I knew that when we evacuated, I'll need to have him on a lead. I just hoped he would cooperate. After walking the dog for a bit – we tried out the leash and it went pretty well except for the venomous snarl Poncho gave me the entire time he was on it – I came back in and unpacked the groceries.

I'd decided to make spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I figured that pasta was a good choice for an athlete. For dessert, I'd fix Tiramisu. I'd rounded out the meal with a salad and bread. I debated on making garlic bread because of breath issues but since there was garlic in the sauce I figured a little more wouldn't matter.

The whole time I was cooking, I had the weather report on. Hurricane James had been upgraded to a Category three storm by now. They were still predicting landfall in our area somewhere late tomorrow afternoon. It was sort of scary listening to it all, so after a few hours, I turned it off and just turned on some music.

I set the table with a table cloth, candles and some flowers from Eleanor's garden. It was cloudy outside and the room was darker than it normally was around this time of the day, so I went ahead and put out a few more candles around the living room. At five, I took a shower and got dressed. I went for casual; jeans and a tank top that was sort of reminiscent of the top I had been wearing last night when Edward discovered I wasn't wearing a bra. Maybe he'd remember that. I was, however, wearing one tonight. I didn't want to seem too sleazy.

Edward arrived a little after six, dressed in his athletic clothes. He was a little disheveled, having worked all afternoon securing the parts of Parma High that weren't going to be used as the evacuation shelter.

"It smells so good, Miss Meteor. What did you fix?"

"Spaghetti?"

He smiled happily and started to lean in for a quick kiss but when he pulled back he said, "I came here directly from school. I'm sort of sweaty. I should've gone home for a shower first."

"I don't mind a hardworking man but you can use my shower if you'd like. Do you still have your clothes from the work day?

"Yes, in the car."

"Dinner's not quite ready yet. By the time you've cleaned up, I'll have it on the table."

He went out to his car to get his clothes and I got him a towel and showed him where my shampoo and soap were. Honestly, I felt quite domesticated while he was showering and me putting dinner on the table. I was humming again. This time it was 'Close to You' by the Carpenters.

I really, really, really had to change that radio station on my alarm clock.

As I was putting the platter on the table, Edward came out of my bedroom drying his hair and dressed in khaki trousers and a light blue oxford shirt. He'd rolled up the sleeves and was barefoot. He was more delicious looking than the dinner I had fixed. I was absolutely dazzled and probably stood there drooling while he smiled at me. "Close to You?" How very Carpentery of you."

"It's my radio alarm clock. It doesn't seem to want to tune in anything except this oldies but goodies station. I believe I am being subliminally indoctrinated into loving disco and Jonesing for a pet rock."

Edward laughed and put the wet towel over the back of the futon. Okay. I was lowering some of my standards for this man but this was one I wouldn't compromise on. I picked that bad boy up and took it into the bathroom to hang it on the towel rack. I noticed Edward's athletic clothes in a pile on the floor and smirked. Were all men missing the tidy gene? I picked up his clothes and folded them. I noticed his boxers were there along with his shorts and t-shirt. Was Edward going commando in my living room? The thought gave me goose bumps.

When I returned to the living room with his dirty clothes, Edward looked at me sheepishly and said, "Sorry."

"I'm sort of finicky about wet towels, clothes, dishes, dogs, hair – well… just wet things in general." I shoved his clothes into a grocery bag.

"So, you don't like cold, wet things?" he asked.

"No."

"You don't like ice cream?"

"Actually, that's an exception."

"Thought so." He grinned.

We sat at the table and ate. I was pleased with the way the meal turned out. Edward had seconds of everything. After dinner, he helped me clean up. We moved effortlessly around the kitchen together.

I was standing at the sink, drying my hands when Edward stepped behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck. Smiling, I leaned back against him.

"This is nice, Bella." He swayed back and forth and hummed a little of 'Close to You.'

I had to laugh and I turned in his arms to face him. "Are you making fun of my 60's fetish?"

"No, ma'am. I just like the song." He pulled me closer.

"How do you know golden oldie music so well?"

"My Mom and Dad. They were not quite old enough to be hippies but they were still into the music. Still are, really." He pulled me up against him so that our lips could meet more easily and he kissed me.

"Mmmmmm. I love when you kiss me, Edward."

"I love to kiss you, Bella." He kissed me again. Three times again. He must like threes.

"Let's take a walk to the beach," Edward suggested.

"Now?"

"Yeah. I bet the gulf is rough. I'd like to see it."

So, that is how we found ourselves on the beach once again at sunset. But this scene was very different from any I'd seen before. Gone were the glassy smooth seas from the night we took our swim. The gulf was now angry with crashing waves and huge swells.

And there even were some idiot guys out there with their boards, trying to take advantage of the high surf.

The wind was picking up now, too. Sand was flying around and it stung my face a bit.

"Wow. This is something," Edward said.

"It's sort of scary. I wish those boys would come in."

"They will when the sun goes down."

"That won't be long from now."

"No, it won't be long which also means that I need to go home. Rosalie is probably wondering if I've deserted her."

We turned and walked back to my house. "Do you and Rose need my help, Edward?"

"I don't think so. In fact, knowing Rose as I do, it would probably be better if you didn't try."

"Why?"

"Rose on a tear is a sight. Better to lay low. She only wants me around to move the heavy stuff."

We'd reached Edward's car and he paused before opening his door.

"I'll come by tomorrow morning to check on you, Bella."

"You don't have to, Edward. Truly. It will only take an hour or so to put down the awnings and herd the gnomes and birds inside. I'll meet you at the high school."

Smiling, he pulled me close and kissed me again. Three times.

Little did I know that this time tomorrow, I'd wonder if I'd ever see him again.


	18. Chapter 18 Mandatory Evacuation

Chapter 18: Mandatory Evacuation

_A mandatory evacuation is a government enforcement of the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard such as a hurricane._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 28th. High 96 F, Low 72 F Barometric Pressure 27.48 inHg, Hurricane Warnings._

I awoke to my phone ringing at four-thirty the next morning.

I picked it up and said groggily, "Hello?"

It was Edward, "My Miss Meteor, I am sorry to wake you but I've been called into the shelter at school earlier than expected. James has picked up speed and they anticipate land fall near Parma in the late afternoon."

"Oh." That woke me up. My heart started pounding in fear. My first thought was that I wanted Edward with me. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Me? No. I was going to have a bowl of cereal and then go in."

"Do you have time to stop by here? I can have breakfast ready for you by the time you get here."

He hesitated only for a moment. "Yes. I can stop by. I want to check on something while I'm there anyway. I have to be at the shelter by 5:30, though."

"Okay. I'll have it ready."

I'd already jumped out of bed and was running into the kitchen to pull out some banana nut bread and put the kettle on for coffee. Yesterday, I spent the evening trying out my oven and indulging my baking yen. I made four loaves of banana nut bread and about six dozen snickerdoodle cookies. Snickerdoodles are good but they aren't my favorite. I had to economize on the grocery run and leave out the chocolate chips, so no chocolate chip cookies for me.

To add to the sliced toasted banana nut bread, I took several eggs and scrambled them with a little shredded cheddar cheese. I thought Edward would be pleased to have something that would stick to his stomach to get through what was sure to be a hard day.

I had about two minutes to brush my teeth and hair and throw on my bathrobe before Edward arrived.

I pulled the door open before he got to it. I must have looked a sight standing there in my bathrobe, my hair still a little messy from sleep. He didn't laugh at me, though. He looked at me as though I was something he would like to eat.

If only.

"Bella" was all he said as he took me into his arms and kissed me –not urgently but deeply and earnestly; one of those soul filling kisses that I was beginning to crave. He tasted like tooth paste and something uniquely Edward, something I was becoming quite addicted to.

He ended the kiss by giving me three little smooches, right there on my lips.

I put my arms around his neck and smiled up at him, "You do that all the time."

"What?"

"Kiss me three times in a row."

He smiled and said, "Are you counting?"

"Not exactly, just that you do them right in a row like this," I stood on my toes and kissed him three times just as he had done to me. "Does it mean something?"

He raised his brows, "I was simply showing my appreciation for you."

"You kiss people three times in a row when you appreciate them?"

"No. I only kiss you, Bella. Only you." He leaned down to kiss me again and slid his hands down my back to his go-to place. "You feel so good," he moaned as he squeezed my butt.

I pressed against him and could tell that I was having an effect on him. That was only fair. He caused an overwhelming effect on me every time I saw him. We kissed again and afterwards I said, "Edward, I am not sure I am strong enough to keep away from you."

"Well, don't."

"I am trying to respect your vow."

"Let me worry about that. If you'll remember, my commitment was to wait until I met the right one."

My heart suddenly started pounding in my chest and in a breathy voice I asked, "Do you think you've met her?"

He didn't answer, he just kissed me again. Three times.

Well, questioning him about that didn't work because I was just as confused as I was before I asked for an explanation, so I let it go…for now. "We need to eat or the eggs will get cold."

We sat at my little table and ate together. It gave me such pleasure to be able to give him this; a meal lovingly cooked just for him. Even though the coming storm was worrying, starting a day like this with Edward was pretty amaz… shit. Not that word again. I wasn't going to think it no matter how true it was. Between Edward and me, we were fast wearing the damn word out.

When we were finished eating, Edward pushed back his chair. "Bella, I want to put one of these awnings down for you, just to make sure they are going to go as easily as you think."

"That's a good idea. I haven't tried to do it yet."

Edward stood to walk out the front door onto the porch and waving at the awning that covered my front window he said, "Let's get this one down first. It's the biggest and would probably cause the most trouble."

I ran to get the mag light that Charlie had gotten me. It could light up half a town in my opinion but it was dark under the awning and we had to see where the latches were. Edward easily located the hasps that held the latches in place and with just a little bit of effort, pulled their pins and let the awning down, then re-pinned them in place once the window was covered.

"That's a relief. I was afraid they'd be rusted so that you'd be unable to close them easily."

He went on to do the next awning and I stopped him, "You need to get to the shelter. It's almost 5:25. If you don't leave now, you'll be late."

"Will you be okay with these?"

"Sure, Edward. All I need to do is get the rest of them shut and take care of the lawn ornaments. Then I'll get myself ready and I'll be at the high school before you know it. James won't get here for a long time after that. I have plenty of time."

He sighed, not really happy with what I was telling him but still walked to where he had parked his car. Before he got in, he turned to me and that familiar intense look came back into his eyes, "Bella, now listen. If you have any problems, you call me, okay?"

"I won't have any problems, Edward. Please don't worry." Famous last words.

He pulled me close again and hungrily kissed me, again three times. "I'll see you soon, my Miss Meteor."

"Yes, you will my Edward." My words made him smile as he gusted a sigh, then he got in his car.  
Poncho and I watched Edward pull out of the driveway and drive down the street. I tried to remember how his lips felt the last time he kissed me. I wondered if he was trying to tell me something in Morse code. "Smooch, smooch, smooch" could be "dot, dot, dot." That stood for the letter "S". Hmmm. What does that mean?

Or, "smooch, smooch, smooch" could be "dash, dash, dash." That stood for the letter "O" in Morse code. Oh, oh, oh? I remember saying that the other night when all other words failed me but I didn't think that's what his meaning was. I was drawing a blank, here.

I went into the house, cleaned up the breakfast dishes and wrapped the baked goods I made. I was going to take them with me to the shelter to share with everyone. I made my bed – after first shooing the devil dog out of it, the little creep had snuck in there while I was in the kitchen – and got dressed in my oldest pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Since it was still dark outside, I packed up the belongings I was taking with me to the shelter.

All I had to do now was take care of the awnings and put away Eleanor's plaster of Paris menagerie and I'd be done. Poncho looked curiously at me as I packed his case.

"Yeah, Poncho, we're going to the shelter at the high school. You have to be good there, okay? No douche-baggery, understand?" The little dog just glared evilly at me.

Finally, the sun rose enough that it wasn't precisely dark but it was very overcast and the wind had picked up. It was as hot and humid as a sauna. I broke into a sweat just walking across the yard. I could hear power tools buzzing and hammers pounding at other homes in the neighborhood. It seemed everyone was getting ready for James.

The wind soughed through the trees constantly and occasionally, splatterings of rain swept through. Yes, James was definitely on his way.

I decided to put Eleanor's awnings down first so the daylight could shine in my house for as long as possible. Just like it always happens, it didn't go as well as I hoped. While the large window awning on my house went down quite easily, the smaller ones on Eleanor's didn't. It was evident that Eleanor had some work done on my big window and the hardware had been replaced but the smaller windows' awnings were rusted in place. I couldn't budge them.

Okay, Bella. What are you going to do?

I decided to herd the lawn ornaments in while I figured it out. I opened Eleanor's garage door to get her wheel barrow and then went around the yard gathering the deer, gnomes, and various plastic aquatic birds. I actually found a few more beasts the old lady must have snuck in there while I wasn't looking, a mama bear and her three cubs. Seven wheel barrows full later, I'd got them all herded into the back corner of Eleanor's garage. I disconnected the pond's pump and brought that in as well. There were three bird baths scattered around her small yard and I decided to dump them - and just let them lay flat on the ground. They were solid concrete bowls that sat on concrete pedestals. I imagined if left upright the wind could pick them up and fling them Frisbee-like through the air. Not good.

On my last trip to the garage, I noticed three large cans of WD-40 on the shelves. That's the ticket! I spent the next couple of hours getting high from the fumes as I dowsed the moving parts of the awnings on my house and Eleanor's with the chemical, trying to shake loose the rust so that I could close the dang things. I banged on them with a hammer for good measure. I was able to get about half of them down that way. I only had six more awnings to go but I had no idea how to budge them. They were rusted open and stuck.

As I was working, a police car drove slowly down the street announcing over its public address speaker, "The residents in this community are under a mandatory evacuation. Please leave the area and report to the public emergency shelter at Parma High School."

He slowed down as he saw me working in the yard and pulled into Eleanor's driveway. I walked over to him as he was getting out of his car. "Miss," he said, "you'll have to evacuate."

"I am planning to just after I get these awnings down. I am packed and ready to go."

"Make sure you do. This is going to be a bad storm."

"Yes, sir. I plan to." My dad always taught me to be respectful to police officers.

He nodded but still got out a pad of paper and a pen, "Could I have your name, please?"

In a surprised voice, I answered, "Isabella Swan."

"And who is your next of kin?"

"Why do you want to know?" I was shocked he would ask.

"If you choose not to evacuate, we have to know who to contact when we find your body."

HOLY SHIT. "I AM evacuating! I promise. I am not staying here; it's never been my plan." I did notice he hadn't used the proper form of who/whom in his sentence but I was too freaked to dwell on it.

He looked at me patiently and just waited for me to answer his question, "I guess my next of kin would be Chief of Police, Charles Swan, my father. He lives in Forks, Washington." It always paid to use Charlie's clout if I could.

But this jerk was unimpressed, "His phone number, please?"

Geesh! This guy was truly freaking me out. "It's (555) 494-2733."

"Good. I hope we won't have to use it."

OH MY GOURD. "I am leaving, I promise! I am leaving as soon as I finish!"

He actually smirked as he got back into his cruiser. Asshole. He just wanted to make sure I left.

"Poncho, you have a lot in common with that guy," I muttered to the little dog that had begun to follow me around like my shadow. I guess he was afraid I'd abandon him.

I whacked and whacked at the WD-40ed latches on the remaining awnings but nothing was budging. The wind was picking up and the rain was falling steadily and I was soaked. Poncho was soaked, too, but he refused to leave my side. I was thinking about shutting him in my house but didn't want to take the time to do it. "I guess if I am suffering, you can too, you little hellion."

It was time for desperate measures. I studied how the supports were attached to the awnings. If I could find some tin snips in Eleanor's garage, I could simply cut them away, lower the awnings and then latch them closed by putting a nail through the pin holes and bending them in place. I'd figure out away to repay Eleanor for any damage I would do later. I dug through her tool box and found what I needed, thank God.

Through brute force, I was finally able to get one awning down. In the garage, I found some ten-penny nails in an old coffee can on the tool bench and used them to thread through the hasps to lock the awnings into place. I bent the ends of the nails down by hammering on them, and was relieved when that seemed to hold them tightly in place. Halleluiah. One down, five more to go.

I steadily worked and eventually got the awnings down and the windows protected. But now both Poncho and I were thoroughly soaked and filthy. I put away the tools I had borrowed and then scurried through the driving rain back to my little home. It was pitch black in there before I turned on the lights.

I took an old towel and dried off the uncomplaining Chihuahua. It seemed he realized that I was his road to safety, so he'd better subdue his nasty disposition and cooperate with me. I stripped off and threw my dirty clothes and the towel in the washer. I didn't want those laying around and stinking up the place for however long it took for things to get back to normal.

I took a quick shower and washed my hair. Dressing in jeans and a t-shirt, I got out my hoodie and threw the now washed clothes in the dryer.

I was very late leaving for the shelter. When I picked up my phone and looked at it, I saw I had missed thirteen calls while I was putting down the awnings. There were several from dad, one surprisingly from Mrs. Oblivious, my mother, three from assorted old friends from Washington and the rest were from Edward. He was probably wondering where I was.

I called him as I sat in the cab of my truck before pulling out to go to the shelter. The rain was driving now and the wind was whipping through the trees around me. It's a good thing I had good rain gear – a legacy from living in Washington. I certainly needed it now.

When he answered I said, "Hi, Edward, I am on my way."

"Oh, thank God. Where have you been?"

"I had trouble with the awnings. I finally got them down. I'll be there in a few minutes."

"I knew I should have stayed to help you. I am glad you're coming now. I have to get something organized in the storeroom, so just text me when you get checked in. Cells don't work in there."

"Okay. I'll see you soon."

Edward lowered his voice to a whisper, "Be careful, my Lo… Miss Meteor. The storm is pretty bad now."

"I'll be okay. Don't worry."

I had to drive carefully to school. The rain was furious but it was the wind that was scary. It was so strong it actually pushed my big, heavy truck around on the road. By the time I pulled into the school parking lot, the rain was coming down in buckets. I scooped Poncho up and tucked him under my rain coat. I didn't bother with an umbrella because I knew it would just be taken away by the wind the second I opened it. Clutching the little dog close to me with one hand and our bags in the other, I ran for the doors of the school.

I struggled inside and heaved a sigh of relief, when I turned to register at the tables that were set up, I stopped. At the moment, there was only one person sitting there; Tanya Whitehorse's-ass.

Oh goody, just who I wanted to share a shelter with, my boyfriend's ex.

I set Poncho on the floor and grabbed his lead as I walked over to the table.

"Well, Ms. Mosquito-singer, you've had quite a bunch of people worried about you. It's about time you showed up. The hurricane's almost upon us."

"I know. I had some trouble securing my house."

"You know, you can't bring that dog in here," she said. She looked sort of gleeful as she said it, like she had just ruined my day. She may have, in reality.

"What?"

"This is a human shelter, not a dog shelter."

"I didn't know."

She shrugged, "You can't bring him in."

"He's no bother. He's just a small dog. I'll hold him if I have to."

"Sorry, them's the rules." She didn't look a bit sorry, the bitch.

"But what will I do?"

"You can leave him out in your car."

"I can't do that to the poor thing. He'll be scared to death."

"You can't bring him in."

Holy mother of Captain Crunch. I couldn't do that to the little rat, could I? Eleanor would never forgive me. Hell, Poncho would never forgive me. I think I was more afraid of him that her.  
But what choice did I have?

I picked the dog up, tucked him back under my coat and grabbed our bags. I struggled back out into the pouring rain and hurriedly jumped into my truck. I turned to look at the dog who sat on the seat next to me.

"Poncho, what are we going to do?" He looked back at me with big, solemn eyes.

In my mind I heard my father's voice telling me to get out. I heard the police officer's voice asking for my next of kin. I heard Edward's voice begging me to be careful. But then I heard Eleanor's voice say, "You just sit tight, Bella. My husband built this house right. It's the safest place in Parma. He picked out the land it sits on for a reason."

I really had no choice. I couldn't abandon Poncho. The weather was too bad for me to drive out to Diane's house. I'd never make it there, so I started my truck and fought my way back home. The sky was black and the wind was causing trees to bend almost in two. I finally made my way back to Eleanor's house and pulled up to her garage.

I decided to park my truck inside to protect it from flying debris. I unlocked and pulled open the garage door and then drove inside and had to fight to pull the door back down. The wind was howling and I was really beginning to be scared.

"It's bad out there, Poncho." The little dog shivered in agreement.

As I turned to reach in to get our bags out of my truck, my glance settled on the plastic bin labeled 'Storm Goodies' sitting there on a shelf. Well, now was a good time to break open that treasure chest. I'd have to come back for it, though. I couldn't carry that, both bags and the dog over to my house. I picked Poncho up and stuffed him in the front pocket of my hoodie. He seemed to like it in there. Then, I pulled my rain coat hood up, grabbed our bags and went out Eleanor's back door.

The rain was coming down in sheets as I dashed madly for my front door. I felt something drop as I ran but ignored it. I'd get it later. I unlocked the door and dumped our bags and ferreted Poncho out from my hoodie pocket. "Poncho, I'll be right back. I need to get the storm supplies."  
I ran back to Eleanor's house but as I passed a huge puddle I stopped dead still.

"Oh, shit."

The something that I felt drop as I ran for my house was my cell phone. I forgot I had stuffed it in my hoodie pocket after I got off the phone with Edward earlier. Shoving Poncho in there must have dislodged it and it fell as I ran. I picked it up. It was drenched. FRACK!

I crammed it back in my pocket and ran to get the storm supply box and carry it back to my house. With the wind buffeting me around, it was hard to keep to my feet. Suddenly, I heard a huge crack and then saw a branch of one of the big oak trees in the yard break off and crash to the ground about twenty feet away from me.

That got my juices flowing. I needed to get out of the weather and fast. Possessing a strength I never knew I had, I was back safely in my house, soaked but unharmed. The bin beckoned me to open it to see what exactly Eleanor meant when she said "goody."

But before I did that, I opened up my phone and cursed again. The screen was cracked and nothing lit up. It was dead.

And Edward, as well as the rest of the world, had no clue where I was and had no way to get in touch with me or me with them.

~~Meanwhile back at Parma High (and from EPOV):~~

Bella should be here by now. I'd spoken to her before I went down to the storage room to count the number of cases of water bottles we had for later. Dr. Molina was donating all the school cafeteria stores to add to the shelter relief items Bishop County issued us. He wanted a good idea of exactly how many provisions he had on hand now that we had a better idea of the number of people sheltering with us.

Ah, my Miss Meteor. Just thinking about her made my heart beat faster. I knew exactly how I felt about her and exactly what I hoped for us but it was too much, too soon. I didn't want to frighten her away. She seemed a little skittish about relationships and I had to be smart about this. I would be smart about this. I went into the cafeteria to find her.

On the way, I was stopped by Lauren Mallory. Oh, joy. I was surprised to see the Mallorys in here ass by elbow with all the "little people." A shelter wasn't some place the well-to-do usually went. They typically bailed at the first sign of trouble and left the weathering of storms to us commoners.

"Mr. Cullen, isn't it scary?" she said as she simpered up to me.

"Oh, it's a piece of cake, Lauren. Where are your parents?"

"They're in the cafeteria, I think."

"It would probably be a good idea for you to stay with them during the emergency. You don't want to become separated." I was making this shit up so that I could keep her away from me. I was devious when I had to be.

I walked quickly down the hall to the cafeteria. I passed the windows in the lobby as I did and was startled at how the wind whipped the trees and the rain poured down. You couldn't even see the cars in the parking lot. I was sure glad Bella was finally out of it.

I went into the cafeteria and stood in the doorway looking at the dozens of people that decided to weather the storm here. I knew that the interstate had been backed up for miles over the past few days with people fleeing the hurricane. It explained why we weren't at full capacity in the shelter.

I looked around once, twice, three times and didn't see Bella anywhere. I saw Rosalie standing over next to Jake Black and so I went over to ask her where Bella was.

"Hey, Rosalie; Black." I nodded friendly-like at the jerk.

I had seen the way he had been stalking my girl and I didn't like it. He'd backed off a bit after I spoke to him when I caught him wandering around our floor during lunch on the first day of school. He was carrying two lunch trays and asking for Bella. I made it clear that he needed to back off; not in so many words but it was definitely my non-verbal message. I didn't know until later that she had to go without lunch that day. It didn't take a genius to figure out Black had something to do with Bella's missing food. I was waiting for him the next morning and politely but firmly explained to him the consequences of his theft, especially when my Miss Meteor was the victim.

I don't think Jake Black has been on our floor since. Asshole.

"Rosalie, have you seen Bella?"

Rose looked surprised, "Isn't she with you?"

"No, I've been inventorying the store room."

"Well, I saw her when she first got here. Tanya did her intake."

I nodded and Jake added, "I haven't seen her either, Cullen. I don't think she's here."

That was worrying. I knew Jake couldn't keep his eyes off of her when she was around. He was such a douche.

"Where's Tanya?"

"I think she's still at intake."

I didn't even wait until Rosalie had finished her sentence. I strode out of the cafeteria to find Tanya. What had happened to Bella? Where was she?

Tanya was going through a list as she sat at the registration table.

"Tanya, have you seen Bella Swan?"

"Well, hello to you, too, Edward," she smirked.

I nodded but still asked, "Rosalie said you did the intake on Bella Swan. Where is she?"

"I don't know." Tanya drawled out the last word.

"You don't? Didn't you do the intake on her?" Fear was beginning to claw at my gut.

"No. I didn't."

"Who did?" I was beginning to panic.

"No one as far as I know. She's not here." She looked down at the list she was holding.

"She's not here? But Rosalie saw her arrive."

Tanya sighed and pressed her lips together. "She came here but she left."

"SHE LEFT?" I shouted. I couldn't help it. I lowered my voice, "Why did she leave?"

"She had a dog with her and dogs aren't allowed in."

"Dogs aren't allowed? I thought as long as they were on a leash or in a crate, they could come."

"Not at this shelter. You have to go to the special pet shelter for that."

"Did you tell Bella that? Is that where she went?"

"No. I told her to just go leave the dog in her car and come back but she left and didn't return. I don't know where she is."

I know the look I gave her then was venomous. I could tell because Tanya shrank back in her chair. I guess she thought I was going to slug her. To be honest, I could have at that moment with absolutely no regrets.

I demanded, "Did you see where she went? In what direction she go in her car? Did she go back towards downtown?"

"No, Edward, I am telling you I didn't even know she'd left until a while later when I realized she didn't come back."

"Oh, my God." I shut my eyes and felt my stomach drop into my shoes. My words were a prayer instead of an expletive. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed her number. There was no answer and it went directly to voice mail. Maybe the cell towers were already down.

I know I sounded frantic as I left a message, "Bella, please call me and let me know you're okay." I ended the call and wheeled around to go out the door to find her.

"Just where do you think you're going, young man?" Dr. Molina was standing there, his arms crossed.

"I have to find Bella."

He looked sternly at me. "And how would you manage that?

"I don't know. I've got to make sure she's okay."

"You'd never find her out there in this weather. She's probably hunkered down some other place, as snug as a bug. I am not allowing you to leave the shelter now. You'll surely get injured or worse and how would that help her?"

"Dr. Molina, I've got to go," I said, the desperation clear in my voice. By this time Rosalie had followed me into the lobby.

"Edward, Bella's a smart girl. She is fine, I am sure." She patted my back as she tried to soothe me. Two seconds later, the lights went out. There were screams coming from the cafeteria as if no one had expected to lose power. Why were most people such dumbasses? I had no patience to deal with this right now. I needed to find Bella.

Dr. Molina said, "There goes the electricity. We need to get to the cafeteria and get the lanterns on before some fool lights a candle." He ushered me away from the doors and I had no choice but to follow.

For now.


	19. Chapter 19 Hurricane

Chapter 19: Hurricane

_A dangerous tropical cyclone with winds speeds of 74_  
_mph, or higher. A hurricane is called a typhoon or cyclone depending the part of the world it occurs._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 28th. High 96 F, Low 72 F Barometric Pressure 27.48 inHg, Hurricane Warnings._

"Well, Poncho, it's just you and me. Let's figure out what to do."

I dried off the dog and took another quick shower to warm up. Being inundated in the rain chilled me to the bone. I slipped on some warm sweatpants, a sweat shirt and some fuzzy slippers. Again, I put my wet clothes in the dryer and my chucks on top of the machine hoping they'd dry out some before I had to wear them again. It was highly unlikely they would, though.

I had emergency broadcasting blaring on the radio and I put on a pot of coffee. I turned the radio volume up, not just to hear it better but to drown out some of the noise of James. The winds were shrieking to an unbelievable pitch outside and the rain was a constant pounding on the roof and the side of the house. At the moment, the winds were blowing from the southwest. The radar weather map said the outer bands of the hurricane were just passing us by. With winds at 109 miles per hour in the eyewall, it was a very high category two. While James seemed to be lessening, a category two can still do a lot of damage. I prayed it didn't get any worse.

Things were tidy in my little house, which made me feel somewhat in control, if not much. Now, it was time to investigate Eleanor's 'storm goody' box. I gingerly opened it to find it crammed full of equipment, some fairly obvious in usefulness, some not so much but what really drew my attention was the spiral note book at the top that was labeled "_Eleanor – Read this first."_

Eleanor wasn't here, so hoping to find some valuable information I opened the note book to read in a spidery, old man's handwriting:

_Dear Goose,_

_I know that visit to the doc put a damper on us and it made me realize that I needed to fix things up for you, so that you'll be all right after I am gone. One of these things is being prepared for hurricanes. I know you always left that up to me but soon I won't be there to take care of you. Follow this list and you'll be fine._

Aw, it was from her husband. What a wonderful man Mr. Cope must have been, to try to see that his wife was safe even after he'd died. I knew from talking to Mrs. Cope that she'd been a widow for a while. There had been no major storms since, so it was likely she didn't even know her husband left this for her. The first few things on the list were tasks I'd already accomplished; putting the awnings down, taking in lawn ornaments, gassing up the car. But I read the list closely after that.

_6. Get someone to knock the coconuts down from the palm trees. In a bad wind, they become cannonballs._

Oh, geesh. I didn't even think of that. I hoped that I wouldn't regret it.

_7. One thing you can count on is that the electricity will go out. You need to prepare for that. First, turn the a/c on high and make it cold as you can get it in the house. When the electricity finally goes, you'll be glad that you gave yourself a cool cushion. Second, fill the tub with water. You will use this water to flush the toilet. We are above the water treatment plant in elevation so you can count on gravity to carry the waste downhill but you need a bucket of water to get it there._

That was clever. I hadn't even thought of that.

_Third, you'll need to stock pile clean water. Take the collapsible gallon containers in the storm box and fill them from the tap and then load them in the refrigerator and freezer. They will keep the appliances and the food in it from cooling down too rapidly._

I decided I'd better do as he wrote right away because I was running a race against time now. Who knew when the lights would go out and when they did, the water pumps wouldn't work and the taps would be dry. I found twenty collapsible water jugs in the box and started to fill them up in the kitchen. Then, I turned up the air and started to fill the bath tub. I kept at it until I had each container filled and stacked as many as I could around the food in the refrigerator and freezer. I still had ten others neatly arranged on my counter tops. The tub was filled and I put a bucket next to it in readiness for flushing.

_8. When the lights go out, don't burn candles. They'll heat up the house faster than you can believe. Use the lanterns. Keep their replacement batteries next to them so you can easily get them when you need them._

In the box were four Coleman lanterns. I pulled them out and loaded them with batteries Mr. Cope had included, set them on one of the living room end tables, then I put the rest of the batteries in a basket on the table right next to them.

_9. Keep track of the location of the storm on the map. After the TV goes out, you'll need to know where you are in relation to it as it moves across the land. If the eye passes over your head, it will seem like the storm is suddenly over, but it isn't. After the eye moves on it will return with a vengeance, so stay inside. Keep an eye on the barometer. When it is at its lowest pressure, that's when you're in the eye. When it starts to rise, you'll know that storm is moving away._

I was able to pull the map out of the box and I taped it up on my refrigerator. The radio reported the coordinates of the eye and I easily located it. I shuddered to see that sucker was fast approaching Parma for a direct hit. Suddenly, the raging winds outside seemed louder. Oh, Jesus.

"Please God, keep everyone safe. Keep Edward safe. Keep me safe. Try not to let my dad worry too much." I wasn't a religious person but I felt it couldn't hurt and it seemed the natural thing to do. What was that old adage? There were no atheists in a foxhole? Well I guess that may include hurricanes, as well. That led me to think about Edward and his faith. I wondered if he was praying for me. The thought of that made me feel a little better. I am sure God listened to people like him.

There was a temperature/barometer gauge in the box. I set it up on the counter next to the map, so I could mark down barometric pressures as the storm neared.

_10. I know you like your cordless phone, Eleanor, but it won't work when the power goes out. You'll need the old fashioned plug in phone that I've put in the storm box. I've found the telephone lines do better than the electrical ones in a storm for some reason._

There was a phone in the box. "Oh, I'm an idiot!"

Of course, Eleanor had a land line in her house and I'd forgotten about it. I could've used it to call Edward and tell him where I was holing up. Oh, my god. He's probably frantic. I'll wait until the eye gets overhead and then I am going to go over to Eleanor's house and try to call him. Maybe the phone lines will still be functioning.

_11. Storm surge. The reason I built this house on top of Indian Hill was that it is the highest place in Parma. You'll be safe from just about any storm surge as the elevation is more than thirty feet above sea level. If they are expecting a bigger surge than that, get the hell out of Parma and you may as well drink that entire bottle of Jack that's in the box because there won't be anything left of our town to come home to._

I hadn't heard the weathermen talk about the surge but maybe that was because I wasn't paying attention. I'd be sure to listen for it during the next update. I'd noticed an unopened bottle of Jack Daniels in the box but I didn't feel like drinking it right now. I was too nervous and I needed my wits about me. The rest of the notebook concerned what to do after the hurricane passed, so I read through it quickly making mental notes to myself.

My stomach growled and I remembered I hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast early this morning with Edward. I hurriedly fixed a sandwich and ate it standing at the kitchen counter. Poncho was right there at my side. Of course, his dish was full but he ignored it. I felt bad for the little guy. It was a stressful day for him too, so I tore off a little piece of the roast beef in my sandwich and gave it to him.

"Here ya go Poncho. I guess you deserve a little treat."

I made another pot of coffee, poured a cup with plenty of cream and sugar in it and then both Poncho and I sat on my bed and watched the Weather Channel. It seemed I was lowering my doggy standards all over the place. I was surprised when Poncho curled up on my lap and fell asleep. I guess the roast beef won him over, or the fact we were comrades through this storm. Or, maybe he realized I could've left him in my truck, the rotten brat. Smiling, I stroked his little body and he sighed contentedly in his sleep.

Then something caught my attention on television. A reporter was standing outside in the storm with palm trees whipping their fronds behind him in the rising wind. I had to laugh when I heard him say, "This is Jim Cantore reporting to you live from Parma, Florida." Dad must be having a shit fit.

A few hours later, I wasn't laughing. The electricity had gone out some time before and the lantern light cast a wavering glow over my bedroom. I had the radio in bed with me and Poncho and I were snuggled up together under the quilt. It was still cold in my house from the residual effects of the a/c blowing on high for a few hours but I knew that would dissipate quickly enough and I'd be praying for a cooling breeze long before this would be over.

My heart was pounding in fear. The wind was wailing like a banshee around my house, shaking its very foundations. Occasionally, I'd hear a loud crack and smash coming from outside and I knew another tree had blown over. Sometimes, I'd hear something slam against my little house that had been catapulted there by the obscenely strong wind. Once, an object smashed against the awning covering the large picture window. Holding the lantern up to the glass, I could see the large dent that was left. If the awning hadn't been down, it would've come through the window bringing the hurricane with it. Holy Shitoly!

I wrapped the quilt around me and Poncho and we huddled in the middle of my bed. I'd shut myself up in my bedroom. It was in the center of the house and was the most sheltered part. I shivered and shook along with the little dog as the wind constantly screeched above us and made my sturdy little house vibrate in response.

Suddenly there was a loud crash and then a bang, bang, bang on the outside wall. Startled, I cried out. "Oh, help!"

I squeezed my eyes shut and wished I was with Edward.

I wished I had figured a way to sneak Poncho in the shelter.

I wished I was in Forks with my father.

No, I wished I was in Forks with Edward.

I thought about that for a minute. My father and Edward together in the same town? I didn't think I could handle that.

I shrugged and rethought, "I wished I was in Hawaii with Edward." But they had typhoons in Hawaii, didn't they? And active volcanoes? And tidal waves?

Uhm. I thought again. I wished I was in Kansas with Edward. NO... there were tornadoes in the Midwest.

"Oh, Edward!" I wailed.

I couldn't think of another place I wanted to be, but I knew who I wanted to be with. "I want my Edward," I sniveled and burst into tears.

While eighty percent of me was having a tearful, frightened meltdown, twenty percent of me was really shocked at my reaction. I normally didn't cry over shit. I wasn't one to ache for someone's arms. I wasn't one who needed anyone else to make me feel safe. That just wasn't who I was. I was completely self-sufficient and independent of anyone. I made sure of it.

Or, that was who I used to be. I'd changed. Edward had changed me. He had opened me to the possibility of sharing, of loving someone else, of letting myself be loved, of trusting, of not being afraid of 'us'.

However, Edward had never said he loved me. At least he seemed to treat me lovingly, I thought. I realized now that I did love him. There wasn't any doubt of it. And if I died in this storm, he would never know. My heart was throbbing with grief at my stupidity. I should've not been so scared and so fearful of being vulnerable. I knew that Edward would never hurt me and I promised myself, I would never hurt him, if I could help it. If I ever got the chance, I would tell him.

The winds started really rocking my roof and I was paralyzed with fear. It sounded like a freight train was thundering by. I looked up at my high ceiling and watched it shudder. The ceiling fan was swinging in frantic loops.

What would I do if the roof blew off? I anxiously looked around at my room and spied the closet. That may be the safest place to be right now. Carrying Poncho and the quilt, I got up and quickly opened the closet door, shoved my shoes and luggage out into the bedroom and curled up on the floor inside it pulling the door closed behind me.

The radio blared in a broken, staticky announcement that the eye was coming ashore now. The screaming of the wind and the shaking of the roof reached a crescendo for long, long minutes and then suddenly… nothing. Complete silence. The eye-wall had passed. I got up and jumped out of the closet, Poncho heavy on my heels, and ran to the barometer. It read 27.7 inHg. That was the lowest I'd ever seen it.

I slipped on my still wet tennis shoes and splashed some water on my face to wash the tears away. I'd work to do and needed to be quick about it. I didn't know when the eye would pass and the storm would start up again. Picking Poncho up, I opened my front door and gasped. Trees were down all over the place but by some miracle none of them had landed on either Eleanor's or my house. I looked up and was surprised to see the sky was crystal blue above the eye.

I made a circuit around the house to try to discover the source of the banging. It turned out that our neighbor's metal swing set had blown across our yards and ended up resting against my little house. It didn't look like it would damage anything other than the paint job, so I left it alone. I could see there were many shingles missing from the roofs of the houses, including Eleanor's and mine. With winds as strong as I heard, it was no wonder some of them had blown off. Other than that, everything seemed fine in our little domain.

I put Poncho down on the ground so he could take care of business and went back into my house for the emergency phone Mr. Cope had put in the storm box. Grabbing it and running back across to Eleanor's house, I let myself and the dog in and looked around for the phone jack in the kitchen. When I finally got it plugged in though, I found no dial tone. The damn the phone lines were down.

Maybe I could drive to Parma High and force them to take both Poncho and I in but there was no way I wanted to be caught on the road when the second part of James came through. I didn't know how fast the storm was moving and I wasn't that foolish to risk it.

Leaving the phone in Eleanor's kitchen, Poncho and I scurried back to my little house and locked ourselves back inside. All we could do was wait until the second half of the storm arrived. I was truly frightened when I heard the weather man say over the radio, "…depending where you are in relation to James, the second half of the storm could be worse than the first half, so hang on."

Worse than the first half of the storm? Oh my God. I couldn't imagine it being worse.

Tears welled in my eyes from fear and from sadness, "Oh, Edward. Will I ever see you again?"

~~Meanwhile back at Parma High~~

EPOV

"Edward. You. Can't. Go. You'll get yourself killed and then what good would you do Bella?"

Rosalie was furious. She'd recognized the look on my face and pulled me over to the side of the cafeteria to try to dissuade me from going after my Miss Meteor. I let her talk but there was no way I was going to be sitting here on my ass when Bella needed me out there.

"Edward! You're not listening to me," Rosalie grabbed me by the arm.

"Rose, tell me something. If it was Emmett out there and you were in here, what would you do?"

That shut her up. I saw the look on her face and I smirked. "So, instead of telling me that I can't do it, tell me how I can."

Rosalie sighed and darted a look around us to make sure no one was overhearing. "Edward, seriously you can't go anywhere right now – you physically can't go. The winds will blow you off your feet. It looks like the eye will be passing over us, however. If we know how big the eye is and how fast it is moving, we can determine how much time you have to get from here to… have you any idea where Bella is?"

"I think there are only three places she could've gone; Diane's, a shelter that would let her bring the dog, or back to her house."

"Oh my God. You don't think she went back home, do you? That's only a few blocks from the beach."

"I hope she didn't go there but will you do me a favor? Listen to the weather man and try to get information on the particulars of the eye."

"Okay. What are you going to do?"

"I am going to try to make a few phone calls."

I went into the lobby and gaped at the storm that was raging outside. The rain was blowing so hard, it looked as though it was falling sideways in sheets. The wind sounded like a freight train thundering by. I saw the doors bowing with the pressure. We needed to chock them before they blew in. I ran back to find Dr. Molina.

I didn't want to create a panic, so I whispered, "Dr. Molina, the front doors need to be braced right now."

Dr. Molina quickly got a group of men together and we went to work to seal the doors with wooden two by fours. As we worked, all I could think about is how now I couldn't use those doors when I left to find Bella. I needed to find another way out.

After we got the doors secured, I called Diane. Fortunately, the cell towers were still up but my call was fruitless, "No, Edward, Bella's not here. I thought she was going to the shelter with you?"

"She tried but she had her landlady's dog and she couldn't come in here with him."

"I didn't know she was taking care of a dog. I could've taken them both."

"I didn't know she couldn't bring him in here. I didn't even consider that." I know I sounded frustrated. To tell the truth I was angry at myself for not knowing these things. Bella trusted me to guide her in this and I had failed her. I had to grit my teeth to keep from crying like a big fucking baby.

"I need to make another call, Diane. Keep safe."

"You too, Edward. I'm sure Bella's okay. Don't worry."

I couldn't even respond to that. My heart was full of dread. I looked at the phone list of the county evacuation shelters and found the one that was designated as a pet shelter. It was at another school further inland from Parma High. I dialed the number but no one picked up.  
After I thought about it, I realized it was even further away from Parma High than Diane's house was, so I was sure Bella wouldn't have gone there. That meant there was only one place she could be, her own home, which was way too close to the beach. I felt like an iron hand was squeezing my heart and I broke out in a cold sweat.

I started reciting the Rosary in my head as I walked back into the cafeteria. I stopped when I got to the part where the prayer said, _"Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."_ The pain of that thought shot agony through me like a hot poker.

Please, God. Don't let Bella die.

Rose wandered inconspicuously over to me and said, "From the news reports, the eye is about ten miles wide and the hurricane is traveling north east at about twenty miles per hour. I guess that will give you a half hour to get to Bella's and back.

I nodded. It would only take me a few minutes to drive there.

I looked across the cafeteria and saw groups of people huddled around the lanterns that were interspersed throughout the room. Some were playing cards, some were reading, some were sleeping and some were quietly talking. The screeching of the storm could be heard very plainly as I sat down in a chair that was next to the kitchen door.

I needed to figure a way to get out of the building and I knew there were exterior doors in there.

A few hours later when I was sure no one was watching me, I took out my flash light from my back pack and quietly slipped into the kitchen. Flicking the light on, I saw the wide double doors that led to the loading dock but they were locked and chocked just like the lobby doors were. There was no getting out that way.

I happened to know, though, there was a small exit door through the staff room just off the kitchen office. I peeked in there and sure enough there was the door. It had an alarmed push bar that opened it but as the electricity was off in the building, I was sure it wouldn't trigger the alarm when I slipped outside. Once out of the building, I'd run to where I'd parked my car and then drive to Bella's to see if she was there.

If she was, I'd bring her back to the school with me. And we'd bring the damn dog; I didn't care what the rules were.

I quietly returned to the cafeteria. The storm's cacophony echoed throughout the room, shrieks and roars. People weren't talking because they could barely be heard. Rosalie approached me and spoke right in my ear, "We are in the worst of it, now Edward. They say the eye wall is upon us. Soon, the wind and rain will stop. Good luck and God bless you."

She looked directly into my eyes and I could see the acceptance and encouragement she felt. She had always been a good friend but I realized now that she was the best sort of friend a person could have. All I did though was nod and mosey back to the kitchen, trying not to draw attention to myself. Once I got through the kitchen door, I hurriedly walked to the staff room and waited for the winds to stop.

Suddenly there was silence. It was like someone clicked a mute button. My ears were ringing from the abrupt change in volume. But I didn't wait around to marvel, I was out of the door like a shot. I didn't think anyone saw me leave.

I was wrong about that, by the way.

When I got outside, the first thing I noticed was all the trees had been blown over, their canopies lying in heaps on the ground, their roots bare to the air. I was especially struck by the sight of a large Banyan Tree that grew right at the entrance of the school's parking lot. It fell across the driveway entirely blocking the way. I saw immediately that it was impossible to get my car out of the lot to go rescue Bella.

My frustration and, I had to admit, fear just about gutted me. There was only one thing left I could do. Now was the time to put all that soccer season conditioning to good use. Bella only lived a couple of miles from the school. I could easily run there in the time I had before the eye-wall passed through again. The only problem was, we couldn't run back to the shelter in time. I'd just have to stay where Bella was. I realized in every cell of my body that where ever she was, was where my heart was also. I couldn't be without her. I knew that now. It was time to tell her, if I could find her.

Without another moment's hesitation, I took off. As I ran, I prayed for Bella's and my safety, since clearly praying for me to have wisdom seemed to be a lost cause. If a friend of mine had suggested doing what I was doing, I'd have thought he was an idiot but that was before I understood what love was all about. Rosalie understood and that's why she didn't protest too much when I told her my scheme.

As I rounded the corner onto route 41, I thought I heard my name being called but I wasn't going to stop to find out who was calling for me. Bella was my first priority. I ducked my head and ran flat out.

I had to skirt storm wreckage and was shocked at the destruction I saw as I passed. It soon became evident that I couldn't have driven my car very far anyway. The roads were blocked with downed trees. There was shattered glass from broken windows and street lamps all over the pavement. Some buildings were missing their roofs and store signs were twisted into heaps of metal and cast aside like so many toys broken by a fractious, meteorological child.

The destruction forced me to back track a little but finally I found myself running up Bella's street. I when I finally crested the hill I could see a massive black cloud steadily approaching from the west. The eye-wall was coming.

I ran up to Eleanor's house, relieved to see it not much worse for wear from the storm, although I didn't think she had a tree left standing in her yard. Then, I noticed that Bella's truck wasn't in her carport.

Damn! Where did she go? My gut twisted in fear and worry.

It was too late to search for her elsewhere. I looked over my shoulder and could see detritus beginning to blow around as the winds approached. Shit! I needed to get out of the weather.

I ran up Bella's driveway, thinking I could somehow force my way inside her house. But where was my Miss Meteor? Did she go to the pet shelter after all? Did she get stuck at some random place trying to shelter from the storm? Please God, keep her safe!

I couldn't dwell on that right now. Rosalie was right. I needed to make sure I stayed safe before I could be of any help to Bella. I could hear James' winds returning. Bella's door opened outwards, so I studied the pins in the hinges to see if I could pry them up.

First, though, I tried the door knob. I was sure Bella would have locked it and I was right. I got out my pocket knife, intending to work on the first pin when miraculously the door opened.  
I stepped back to see my glorious girl standing in the doorway, staring at me in amazement.

"Edward?" she gasped.

"Oh, thank God, Bella, you're safe!" My knees buckled from relief as I reached for her. The next thing I knew she was in my arms and I was holding on to her as though I could never let her go.

If it was okay with her, I never would.

**AN:**

**Poor Tanya. Everyone wants to lynch her thinking she was being malicious about not letting the little devil dog in the shelter but honestly, she was following Standard Operating Procedure. Pets are not allowed in most shelters. When people show up with a pet, they are told to go put the animal in their car and return. During Katrina, they discovered that when they made people make a choice like that, many returned home because they didn't wish to be parted from their animals. A lot of people died because of that. Emergency Management folks decided they'd better do something sensible about that and started pet friendly shelters but in our county you have to make a pre-storm reservation.**

**After experiencing Wilma, I've decided that dog and I will go on a road trip instead, stay at a plush hotel, order room service and read fanfiction. My husband will have to stay here because he's considered an essential emergency person or something in our county. I'd leave him the bottle of Jack Daniels.**

**Thanks to my beta and friend, Kris, for her patience and encouragement.**


	20. Chapter 20 Shelter

Chapter 20: Shelter

_A refuge that provides cover from weather or protection against danger._

* * *

_Parma, Florida, August 28th. High 96 F, Low 72 F Barometric Pressure 27.48 inHg, Hurricane._

Frantically, I pulled all my clothes out of the closet and stashed more blankets, pillows and some survival supplies in there. I figured it was the safest place in my house, if anywhere in my little house was safe at all. My heart was pounding with dread as I waited for the second part of James to start up. I looked around my jerry-rigged shelter and saw I was missing something.

"Drat, Poncho. I need to get some extra batteries." The little dog refused to let me out of his sight. He followed me into my living room where I had left the extra batteries.

I had just picked up the batteries when I heard something scrabbling at my front door. It didn't sound like the storm was returning but like someone was out there trying to get in. When the knob jiggled, I knew it for sure. It was foolish of me to pop open the door without knowing who was there but I couldn't find it in me to leave anyone out during round two of the hurricane. I set the lantern and basket down and opened the door.

My heart surged in my chest. It was him.

"Edward!" I gasped.

When I saw that _amazing_ face, gazed into those_ amazing_ eyes, and felt an urge to kiss that _amazing_ smile, I just about died from _amazing_ happiness.

"Oh, thank God, Bella, you're safe," he cried.

I flew to his arms, wrapped myself around him and lifted my lips to his. I loved him, loved him, loved him.

My worries, my fears, and all my reservations disappeared in the onslaught of emotion that I had for this man. _I loved him_. I was sort of shocked about that. Me? Cold-hearted Bella who kicked Mike to the curb without so much as a second thought after a two year relationship? Though, I never felt about Mike half as much as I feel about Edward. This amazing thing between us happened so fast… but it felt right. It was right. It had to be. I never wanted to let him go; however, it would be hard to teach tangled up with him like this.

I gave myself a mental shake.

What a time for my mind to wander off into some other place. Here I was reuniting with the man I loved after I had been afraid I was going to die from Hurricane James and now I was thinking about the practicality of teaching with him attached to my hip. I was crazy. Certifiable. There was no other explanation for it.

I kissed him again with all the pent up emotion that I had. He returned each kiss and caress with equal passion. The world had narrowed down to just him and me, together. I loved him.

Suddenly a skirl of wind swept through reminding us we were still in the midst of a hurricane and we needed to get inside.

The rain started sheeting down and we ducked through the door. Edward had to struggle to get it closed and bolted.

As quickly as the storm ceased when eye had moved over us, it started back with equal fervor. The wind struck the house and the rafters shook.

"Come on!" I shouted as I grabbed the lantern in one hand, Edward's hand in the other and dashed for the closet.

Just as we got that door shut, there was an almighty rattling and I squeaked thinking the roof was coming off but after several loud groans it held. Edward gathered me into his arms and with his back against the wall slid down onto the floor. I ended up sitting in his lap. We cuddled as we listened to the storm rage outside. Poncho pawed at my leg and I scooted around so he could nestle in between us.

Edward kissed me again and I forgot about the wailing wind and shaking house for a minute. He stroked my back as he said, "There were moments this afternoon I feared I'd never see you again."

My voice caught in my throat, as I responded, "M…me too," I blinked back tears, "I was so scared. I wanted to be with you so badly."

I shuddered remembering how I felt. It was funny that I wasn't as frightened now that Edward was with me. The storm was still raging around us and sounded every bit as bad as it ever had before but now I felt comforted.

"It can't be nearly as bad now that we are together," Edward murmured into my ear.

"Well, it can be as bad but I'm not as scared." I nuzzled into his neck feeling safe for the first time in hours. Maybe there was a part of me that didn't care what happened now that Edward was with me.  
In the light of the lantern, I could see his gaze deepen and I saw a glint in his eye I'd never seen before. He ran his hands along my arms and down my back, "It was torture being apart from you. I had no idea where you were."

"Tanya wouldn't let me bring Poncho in the shelter. She told me to leave him in my truck and come back by myself but I couldn't do that to the poor little guy. It was getting bad outside, so I had no choice but to go back home. I remembered Eleanor telling me that her house was the safest in Parma, so I could only hope she was right."

"I'm deeply sorry I didn't realize you couldn't bring Poncho to the shelter. I thought pets were allowed if they were contained and he's such a little guy, I didn't think it would be a problem." He sighed.

"Why didn't you call me?" His voice sounded agonized.

"I needed to move quickly to get back here before things got worse. I was going to call when I arrived safely but when I got here I dropped my phone in a puddle and broke it." I know I sounded pathetic.

His arms involuntarily tightened around me, causing Poncho to grunt and get up off of my lap. I guess we were cramping his style. He curled up on a blanket nearby but kept his beady eyes on us. He looked a little resentful.

We sat there entwined and listened to the storm scream overhead. Sometimes we'd hear a loud thump and know something had been blown against the house but fortunately the awnings held. Edward was gently stroking my back.

"How did you get up here?" I asked.

"I ran."

"You ran! From Parma High?"

"Yes. There are trees blown down all over the place and I couldn't get my car down the streets. My original intention was to drive here to get you and bring you back to the shelter. When I realized I couldn't get my car out of the parking lot, I simply ran to you."

"You must have run fast to get here before the eye-wall returned."

"Soccer conditioning," he offered by way of explanation.

I smiled and shook my head as I burrowed my face back into his neck and sighed. I loved him.

"Where's your truck?" he asked.

"I parked it in Eleanor's garage. I thought it'd be better out of the storm."

He nodded and we were silent though the storm wasn't. The wind wailed and I wrapped my arms around Edward's waist and held on. The storm was still raging. I was glad I was with Edward but was beginning to feel guilty for being the reason he left the safety of the shelter.

"Bella, I have to tell you something."

I looked up at him. He sounded and appeared wary and serious. Was this when he was going to tell me I was too much trouble and he wished he'd never met me? Was this when he would tell me he didn't want to be my boyfriend any longer? Was this the end of us, just when I figured out what I wanted – what I needed? My heart started pounding.

But what he said was, "I love you."

What? I blinked rapidly trying to take it in. My brain had no words but that didn't stop my mouth from working independently of it as usual so I said, "You can't love me."

Edward snorted and squeezed me. "Why can't I?"

"Because I am not…I… You're too…Because…" I stumbled to a halt and looked earnestly into his eyes.

All I could think to say that made any sense was, "I love you, too, Edward." It came straight from my heart.

I didn't have to say anything more. Edward's smile was joyful and he pulled me close and we kissed, our first post I-loveyou kiss. It was passionate and blissful. I felt electric tickles from my lips down to my toes. There was no way on God's green, wet, and windy earth that I was going to be able to behave myself around him now. I hoped Edward knew that. I hoped he had enough self-discipline for the both of us. The noise of the storm seemed to recede into the background and all there was in the world was me and my Edward.

When we came up for air, I smiled at him and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Bella, I knew from the start that you were it for me."

That shocked me. "From the start? When I fell on you?"

"I like to think that you fell for me." He snickered and I cut my eyes at him amused at his teasing. He sighed and kissed my temple, "Yes. From the first time I saw you sitting in the stands, I thought you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It was magic for me. At first, I chalked that up to physical attraction but there was something more there. I felt it but I didn't know what it was. You blazed through my life like a meteor. I was never the same."

"Like a meteor? You said that came from something but I couldn't place it. Where did it come from?"

For some reason he looked embarrassed, "Uhm. Well. I do a lot of reading and I try to acquaint myself with Young Adult favorites just to keep up with the kids, so…"

"It came from Harry Potter?"

"Nooo." He looked at me like I was crazy.

"There was a love story in that, sort of."

"Yeah, a boy and his wand."

"Most boys are in love with their wands," I said and snickered.

Edward snorted. "My Miss Meteor, what I feel for you has nothing to do with a personal penis fascination."

Now that was disappointing. I must have looked saddened.

He stroked my side, lowered his voice and said, "I said personal penis fascination, Bella. I have to admit my body seems to have its own fascination for you."

I sighed and said, "I hope you're strong enough for both of us, Edward, because there's nothing I'd rather do than make love with you."

"I am not going to make love with you for the first time in a closet, Bella."

I caught my breath, "But…you are going to make love to me?"

He didn't answer with words. He just kissed me. Three times.

I smiled hopefully at him. I remembered what he said at Mulligan's - he wouldn't have sex until he met the right one. Was I his "one," then? "So, you're in this for the long haul?"

"This being our relationship?"

I nodded.

"Yes. I can see my future with you, Bella. Can you see one with me?"

"I can't imagine one without you, does that count?"

"I think so. We have a lot to learn about each other but I feel confident in us, in what we've begun."

"I am afraid you won't like me as much once you know me better."

Edward studied me closely. "I recognize that this has happened fast but it feels like we are exactly where we should be. We have a lot to learn about each other but I know we can make it work, simply because it is supposed to work. But, my Miss Meteor, I can never imagine not liking you – not loving you."

I hugged him. "What if I snore?"

"I'll wear ear plugs," he immediately answered, then added, "do you?"

"No one has ever said I did but usually the snorer is the last to know."

"What if I am too messy?" he asked.

"I won't pick up after you but I can't stand disorder. Does Rosalie complain?"

"Not too often. I sometimes forget and don't put my stuff away."

"Well, Edward Cullen, if Rosalie can deal with you, what makes you think I can't?"

"Would you want to?"

"Yes, Edward. I love you. I don't want to ever let you go." We kissed again.

"But, really," I added hesitatingly, "you wouldn't be too messy, would you?" My OCD neatness fetish was a little horrified at the thought.

"I think we'll have a while to see how messy I am. We'll take it a bit at a time. I'll try to live up to your standards." He kissed my forehead and pulled me closer.

We sat like that for what must have been hours as the storm passed over us and we listened to the radio, talking occasionally but truly just relishing being together, holding each other, and making out now and then like the love-sick couple we were.

Out of the blue, Poncho stood up and scuttled over to the closet door and then turned to look over his shoulder at us.

"What's up, Poncho?" I asked.

He wagged his tail a few times then turned and stared at the closet door.

"Do you think he believes it's okay to leave the closet?" I asked Edward.

"The wind seems to have died down somewhat. Maybe the worst part is over."

I got to my feet and opened the closet door. Poncho trotted out ahead of me.

I heard Edward groan as he stood. "Are you all right?" I asked.

"I'm just a little stiff from sitting in the same position for so long."

"I probably didn't help any by sitting on your lap the whole time."

He smiled, "Now, that's what made all the sitting worthwhile."

He picked up the lantern and I grabbed another that was in my bedroom and we left the shelter of the closet. Poncho was waiting at the bedroom door and when I opened that, he made a beeline for the papasan chair, the little brat. Oh, well. As far as I was concerned he could help himself. His company had kept me sane during the first half of the storm and I now considered him one of my best friends.

I turned on another lantern and looked around my home. All seemed to be in order. The wind was still blowing but it wasn't doing its imitation of Thomas the Tank Engine any longer, thank God. I could still hear the rain pounding down, so I knew it wasn't time to go outside, yet.

"Are you hungry, Edward? I have plenty of food."

"As a matter of fact, I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"It's past time for dinner. Could I make you a sandwich or two?" I was standing in my kitchen watching him walk towards me.

"Whatever is easy for you, Bella." He pressed his lips against my hair and mumbled something I couldn't hear distinctly.

"What?" It sounded sweet whatever it was. He just smiled down at me and then his stomach growled.

"Let me get you something to eat, hungry man."

"I'm definitely a hungry man."

Now, that could be taken two ways and I was wondering how he meant it. It sounded like he meant a more basic hunger that a sandwich wouldn't satisfy. I hoped he wanted me to satisfy both. It was the least I could do for my rescuer, after all.

I fixed roast beef sandwiches, opened a bag of chips and got out some snicker doodles. I finished our meal off with glasses of milk. We had to drink it up before it went bad. I guess Edward was really hungry because he went through his food like a buzz saw. I gave him half of my sandwich and sliced some Banana Nut bread for him also. This man of mine had a very healthy appetite. It was fun to watch him enjoy his food.

"These cookies are great. My mother used to make some like these."

"Yeah, snicker doodles have been around for a long time. I think I got the recipe out of one of my mom's old cook books." Though she probably sold it with her living room furniture, but I wasn't going to tell Edward that.

We cleaned up the kitchen and then sat on the futon together and listened to the emergency broadcast. To my delight, Poncho jumped off the papasan and trotted over to jump in my lap. In two seconds he was asleep.

"He's warmed up to you, Bella."

"I've warmed up to him, too. I guess going through dangerous times has a way of changing your outlook a bit."

"Yes, it does." Edward looked tenderly at me, put his arm around my shoulders and started kissing my neck. These kisses were sweet but had an edge to them, a desirous edge. I relaxed into his embrace and sighed in pleasure. He lifted my chin so that he could reach my lips and his kiss lit me on fire.  
I could feel my insides melt for the want of him, all of me achingly needy.

"Edward," I whispered, "Please…

I stopped. I was just about to beg for some hot lovin' but, fortunately, I stopped before I embarrassed myself. If he only knew how aroused he made me from just being in the same room with him, he wouldn't play with me like this. It was so unfair.

He looked into my eyes, a fire seeming to be burning in his own but maybe that was just a reflection of my own conflagration. "What, Bella?" he whispered.

"Please don't tease me," I pled.

"I'm not teasing you. I'm promising you." He kissed me again, pulling me as close as he could, our mouths rejoicing together. My heart was beating so fast, I was sure he could hear it if he couldn't feel it.

I hoped he was promising me what I wanted but I was too afraid to ask him straight out. The disappointment would kill me. I'd play this by ear but I swear, if he didn't do the deed, I was going to explode from sexual constipation. And then he'd be sorry.

Suddenly he stood, bent over and scooped me up then walked into my bedroom to lay me down upon my bed. He slid down on top of me and kissed me again, three deep kisses, then rose up on his elbow to look down on me with the softest, most loving expression.

The light dawned, finally. "You're telling me that you love me," I said. "That's what the three  
kisses mean."

His smile was incandescent. "I've known that I loved you for a while now. I didn't tell you sooner because I was afraid of scaring you off. But I do. I. Love. You." He punctuated his sentence with kisses.

I sighed happily and wound my fingers through his hair to pull his face back down to mine so I could kiss him, too. Three times.

He grinned. "I'm glad I didn't scare you away."

"No, you're stuck with me now." I pressed my body against his, wanting him as close as I could get him but soon realized my clothes were in the way- and so were his. Quickly, we helped each other pull off our clothing. I sat up and he whipped my shirt over my head. I started pulling at the snap of his shorts and mauling his zipper. After fumbling around for a bit, we were finally bare.

I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face as he gazed at me completely naked for the first time. He was on his knees looking down at me and he gasped and ran a gentle, reverent hand from my shoulder to my hip. "My Bella…so beautiful."

I was caught up in the way his muscles were defined on his chest and abdomen, sloping down to his hips, his happy trail pointing the way to something that was very happy, indeed. Very, very happy.

I couldn't resist and reached out to stroke him. He gasped as though I scalded him so I pulled my hand away and looked at his face. "S'okay?" I asked.

"Oh, yes. Bella…" He groaned. "But I'm afraid if you do that right now, this will be over embarrassingly soon." He lay down beside me and kissed me deeply, this time running his hand from my hip back up to caress my perky breasts. They were perky mostly because I was so incredibly turned on.

His hand drifted down from my breasts to palm me below and my body fluttered. I was literally shaking from passion and in reaction to his touch. I found I had to stop him as well. I was already on the edge and if he kept on going I was going to have my own private Fourth of July without him.

"Edward, I want you so badly. I want to feel you inside of me. I want you. I need you."

He swallowed and then said, "You're sure?"

"I'm positive. Make love to me, my Edward."

His eyes blazed as he settled into the cradle that was my body. I felt every inch of his own, finally right where I desired him to be; right where I needed him to be. He paused for a moment but I couldn't resist any longer and I took matters into my own hands… er, hips … and lifted up so that he and I were no longer two; we were gloriously one.

Edward gasped out a low "My Miss Meteor" and finished what I had started.

"Ungh. So good," Edward moaned.

There were spots of color high on his cheeks as we gazed into each other's eyes. He pulled back, slowly dragging out the sensations that were sparking along my legs and across my sides, up my spine to my head, then down around my breasts to my abdomen and then finally back where they began.

We moved together picking up speed until I could feel that magnificent pressure start to loosen within me. My heart pounded as I was gloriously slipping and finally falling, flying, soaring.

"Oh, Edward," I cried out, arching my back as my nails dug into his spectacular muscled shoulders. My eyes squeezed shut against the euphoric, bubbly feeling he created within me. Sliding his hands underneath, he angled my hips so he could move more freely and he started to explode.

"Bella," he gasped and let out a deep groan. It was amazing.

Panting, Edward settled down on top of me and kissed my shoulder. "I love you, my Miss Meteor. I love you."

I turned my head and kissed his cheek and whispered, "I love you, too."

I held him close to me just where he was for the moment. Our physical connection was too precious to end. Savoring my emotional high, I shut my eyes, kissed him again and wrapped my arms around him, not ready to let go.

Bliss. Ecstasy. Heaven. All of it. I had it all. I had him. There was never a woman as happy as I was. And this time, my mind didn't feel the need to wander off to some arcane world of its own. For once, it was satisfied to stay right here with Edward.

Surprisingly, I heard a small, non-human grumble and opened my eyes to find Poncho standing on my bed, a foot away from my face, and glaring at me in utter disgust.

Seriously, what was his problem?

**AN: **

**It's a fact that nine months after major weather events like this hurricane, there are a flood of babies being born. This always seems to occur whenever the electricity goes out. No. That doesn't mean our Bella just got pregnant. She's on the pill as she implied/told Edward when he took her out to dinner.**

**Thanks to Kris for helping me get this out.**


	21. Chapter 21 Aftermath

Chapter 21: Aftermath

_Something that results or follows from an event, especially one of a_  
_disastrous or unfortunate nature._

* * *

_August 29, Parma, Florida, High 93F, Low 82F, Barometer 31.02 inHg._

Despite Poncho's displeasure, Edward and I spent the rest of the night in bed. We slept in each other's arms only to wake ever so often to kiss and make love again. After our first frenzied coupling, we were able to take our time and, if possible, I fell even more in love with him. There was something about baring our souls as well as our bodies that made the experience so intense, so beautiful.

I'd never considered sex as something beautiful before. In my mind, it had always had elements of the ridiculous about it but you did it because of the big orgasmic pay off at the end. Now, I knew there was much more to sex when you were truly in love with someone. Over the course of that night, I learned the difference between having sex and making love. I also learned what Edward liked (everything) and I learned he particularly liked to please me. He said my o-face was the most amazing thing he'd ever witnessed. Amazing.

The rain ceased around five in the morning and we slipped on our clothes to peek outside and assess the damage James left in his wake. We flashed our lights around but other than some downed trees and missing shingles, we didn't see much, so we went back inside.

I was slept out and, to be honest, was feeling a little sore from our 'activities' so, I poured some milk and we sat at my table and ate cookies in the only acceptable manner, by dunking them first.

"How did you know to stuff your refrigerator with all those bottles of water?" Edward asked.

"Oh, it was the coolest thing. Before Eleanor left, she showed me this box in her garage that was labeled 'storm goodies' and told me to use it if I wanted to. I didn't think I'd need it so I never opened it until after deciding to weather the storm here."

Edward sighed and shook his head but didn't say anything.

I got up and walked over to where the box sat on the floor and pulled out the notebook. "It was chock full of supplies and on the top was this notebook. It explains everything anyone would need to do in preparing for, surviving, and recovering from a hurricane."

I handed it to him. "The box was organized and the notebook was written by Eleanor's husband. I felt pretty confident after following his directions."

Edward read the first page and then thumbed through the rest. "This is amazing. What a great man Mr. Cope must have been."

"Did you know him?"

"No. He died before I came to Parma but I take it he was a native here." He turned back to the first page, a small smile on his lips.

"Amazing how he wanted to take care of Eleanor even from the grave."

"Amazing, eh?" I looked at him, sort of amazed myself. That word- it kept on popping up.

"Yeah. Don't you think so?" He looked at me curiously.

"I do." I sighed and smiled at my amazing boyfriend, "There's something funny that's been happening to me ever since I met you."

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"I haven't spoken much about my mother. Renée's a little bit… well a lot really- of a bohemian. Pragmatic, she's not. She's always been entranced by the unexplainable, so much that I basically write off everything she says. She can be pretty flaky. I'm a lot more like my dad. I want facts, not feelings. You can be betrayed by feelings but the facts are, well, the facts. Renée could never get that.

"But anyway, she and my step-father live in Jacksonville and I stopped by to visit them on my way down here. I told her about breaking up with Mike and she was glad. She said that he dimmed my aura, or something." I chuckled remembering that absurd discussion with my ridiculous mother.

"Mike wasn't a bad sort but she never liked him… well, actually, she never liked us together. She told me something then that I rolled my eyes about at the time but it still kept me up at night thinking. She told me that she was afraid that I would settle for 'comfortable' because I didn't believe there was an 'amazing' out there for me. The next day I drove to Parma and stumbled upon you and I've been amazed ever since. The word keeps on cropping up in conversations all the time lately."

"So, do you think your mother will approve of your aura now?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she did." I smiled at him and got up to sit on his lap and put my arms around his neck. "I'm sure she'll be able to tell how much I love you at first glance. She takes great pride in spotting these sorts of things."

Edward ran his hands down my back and grinned back at me. "She sounds like a riot."

"Riot as in mayhem an anarchy? You've got that right. But she's the kindest soul and gentlest spirit. You can't be mad at her."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her."

That surprised me. Edward was planning on meeting my family one day? I suppose that probably was going to happen sooner or later. If we stayed together, it was inevitable. I guess he'd have to meet Charlie, too. That idea made me shudder. "Well, perhaps."

That little frown wrinkle Edward had between his eyes appeared and he looked at me in surprise, "Perhaps?"

"Probably." I back tracked.

"Bella, are you … doubtful about our future?"

"I'm not precisely doubtful, Edward. I'm just looking at all the angles. If we stay together, for sure you'll meet my family."

"If? Why are you talking like this, Bella?" He looked disappointed.

"I don't … I'm…" I ran out of words.

"Bella, listen. I meant it when I said I can't imagine a future without you. For me that meant I get to meet the people important to you and you'll get to meet mine sooner or later. For me, there is no 'if.' I believed that's what you meant last night as well."

I didn't say anything because I was trying to process what I was feeling. Finally all the bells and whistles blew and I could label it, "I'm scared."

He held me a little closer, "Why?"

"I'm not used to feeling vulnerable. It frightens me."

He thought about that for a bit and then said, "And you aren't used to trusting those that love you. You know what the cure for that is?"

I shook my head as I gazed into his eyes. I hadn't a clue.

"Time. It will take time for you to learn to trust me; to trust this; to trust us. Will you promise to give us time? My fear is that you'll run away before you really give us a chance. We'll have problems and difficulties just like all couples do and we'll need to face them together. You have to give me the opportunity to prove you can always trust me. That's all I'm asking."

I nodded my head. "Okay."

"And please talk to me when something is bugging you. I can't read your mind and I want you to be happy." He kissed my forehead and said, "The sun will be up soon. I think we ought to go down to Parma High and check in and let everyone know that we are okay."

"I need to get ready. I'll be right out." I kissed him before getting off his lap and taking a lantern I went into my bathroom.

There was no running water but I scooped a bucket full out of the tub and filled my sink and took an awkward cat bath. It was cool but refreshing. I felt much better afterwards. I used the dirty water from my sink bath to flush the toilet. I dressed in shorts and a t-shirt as Edward was in the bathroom taking care of his morning routine.

"Bella, do you have an extra tooth brush?"

I didn't but since we'd spent the whole night swapping spit among other things, I said, "I don't but if it wouldn't gross you out, you could use mine." He smiled broadly at me and I felt as though I'd just passed a test. Weird.

It didn't take me long to hang my clothes back in the closet and replace the luggage and shoes. My bed was a wreck and I totally needed to change the sheets. I may have to change them every day from now on considering the bedroom gymnastics Edward and I had started doing. Smirking at my inner thoughts, I stripped off the sheets and remade the bed.

Hopefully the electricity would come on before I ran out of fresh linens.

By the time Edward was ready, the sun was up and my little house was tidy. I put on Poncho's leash and we headed out to walk down to Parma High. He seemed to forgive me my neglect in the night. I noticed that he went out to sleep in the papasan chair. We must have been disturbing his beauty rest.

It was sunny and hot with hardly any breeze, such a major change from the day before it seemed impossible. There were few trees left standing. Some had blown over on top of houses and smashed them to smithereens. Roof shingles were blown off and littered the ground all over the place. After seeing all the broken glass strewn on the ground like birthday cake sprinkles, I decided that I'd better carry my little doggy friend. I didn't want him to cut his paws. I was glad that I put on my old Doc Martens. They were clunky but sturdy and they weren't damp like my chucks still were.

We arrived at Parma High to find that the roof had blown off the gymnasium and was now littering the student parking lot.

There were several people standing around looking at the mess, among them Rosalie Hale.

"Edward! Bella! Are you all right?" Rosalie called as she ran over to us.

"Yes, we weathered the storm at Bella's house." Edward slipped his hand behind my back and kept it there. I saw Rose take note of that and smile.

"Did you have any problems there?"

"No. Everything seemed well enough except for all the trees that are down. I don't think there's a shingle left on the roof, either."

"They've already started to clean up here," Rosalie said. We could hear a chorus of chainsaws already working away on the poor downed trees. There were lines of Florida Power and Light Trucks along the road. They certainly had their work cut out for them.

"The Red Cross has set up a food tent over on the football field. You guys hungry?"

"Sure," Edward answered for both of us and we followed Rose over to the stadium.

We passed an AT&T truck and the sign on it said 'Free Phone Calls for Storm Survivors' and I stopped.

"Edward, I need to call my parents."

"That's a good idea. I haven't had a cell signal since just after the beginning of the storm." We stood in line for a few minutes and then I was handed a cell phone by the attendant.

I dialed my dad first but got no answer. That was strange. I left a message on his voice mail telling him I was fine and then called my mother. She was in no danger from James as it had crossed the state in the night and went out to sea. Bermuda had storm warnings now but Jacksonville was out of the danger zone.

"BELLA! HOW ARE YOU?" Mom shouted when she heard my voice.

"Fine, Mom. Just fine. We have no power and I broke my phone so I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner."

"That's good. I knew you'd be okay. I've been burning chicken feathers for you. The feathers never fail."

I rolled my eyes over my mom and her superstitions. But, hey, I did make it through okay. I was learning not to be so skeptical of my mother's antics lately.

Renée went on, "Your father is going crazy, though. I think we talked more in the last two days than we did during our entire marriage."

"Oh, I'm sorry, mom. If he calls you again, tell him I'm fine."

"How will we get in touch with you?"

"Uhm…" I didn't know Eleanor's phone number off the top of my head but I'd probably be with Edward, so I covered the phone for a minute and whispered to him as he stood next to me, "Can I give my parents your phone number in case they need to contact me?"

"Sure, Miss Meteor. That's no problem at all." He smiled at me with a tender look that made me melt and I put my ear back up to the phone and gave mom his number.

"Whose number is this?" Renée asked.

"Edward Cullen's, Mom."

"Hmmm. A man?"

"Unless she had unusually cruel parents, yes, mom, Edward Cullen's a man."

"Hmmmm." Renée wasn't saying anything more but I knew what was coming, so I decided to forestall her.

"Yes, Mom. Edward Cullen is a colleague of mine but we've become friends. In fact, he is my boyfriend and everything is _amazing._"

"_Amazing,_ Bella?" She was starting to sound like a seal.

"Yes, Mom. He swept me off my feet. We are very happy together, ecstatic. But I need to go. You have Edward's number but there's no phone service yet. If you don't hear from me sooner, I'll try calling again tomorrow."

"But, Bella…" she wailed.

"Bye, Mom, I have to go." And I hung up.

"That was sort of mean," Edward commented.

"Well, that's the best way to deal with her: information dump and a quick ending. She'll cogitate about it, probably sacrifice a joint or two, and then she'll be fine."

Edward chuckled. "I'd better call my parents, too."

I handed the phone to him and turned to give him some privacy. Before I could walk away, however, he pulled me back against him. "Stay here," he whispered.

His mother must have been sitting by her phone because she picked it up immediately. They had a short conversation and I was surprised when it was apparent from what I could hear of his half his mom knew all about me.

"Wow. Your parents know about us?"

"Sure. She's happy for us. She can't wait to meet you."

"Oh, boy." My stomach twisted in nervous knots.

"Don't worry. She and my dad are thankful I've finally met someone special to me." That warmed my heart in a funny way and I'm sure a silly grin was plastered across my face.

We headed over to the breakfast tent to meet Rosalie who had gone on ahead. She saved a place for us as we went through the line to get plates of scrambled eggs and bacon, toast, fresh juice and coffee.

"Boy, they got this set up quickly," Edward said.

"Yeah. Florida does hurricanes well. They sorta have to," Rose explained.

"How did the second half of the storm go at the shelter?" Edward asked.

"Oh, we had an exciting time, especially when we found that four of our shelter evacuees had gone out during the eye of the storm and not returned."

"Oh, great. Who besides me?"

"Tanya Whitehorse, Lauren Mallory and Jacob Black." Rosalie's eyes were sparkling with mirth. This was going to be good.

Edward lowered his voice and said, "I did hear someone call my name as I was leaving but I couldn't wait around to figure out who or why. I needed to get to Bella. Are they okay? Did they get back to the shelter in time?"

"They are fine, sort of. They didn't come back to the shelter, though. The eye passed before they could return and they had to hunker down somewhere else."

"What happened, Rosalie?" I asked.

Rosalie lowered her voice and with a smile on her face, said, "Seems like Tanya and Lauren saw Edward leave and went after him. Jake saw them leave and he went after them to try to get them back to the shelter.

"When Lauren discovered that Tanya was trying to chase you down she went all apeshit crazy and jumped on Tanya's back and started beating the crap out of her. Seems like Lauren believes you are her exclusive property, Eddie. I told you that girl was dangerous.

"Of course Tanya wasn't going to put up with that, so she fought back. We're talking about a knockdown, drag-out, hairpulling cat fight in the middle of Route 41. Jacob tried to break them up but they wouldn't quit. In fact, they got a couple of good licks in on him. He's got quite the shiner right now.

"Finally, the eye passed and I suppose the driving rain and 110 mile an hour wind got their attention and they broke it off. The only place they could get to was Publix as they were right in front of it. Jake finagled a way to break into the store and got them out of the weather safely."

"Thank God for that. So, they sat out the rest of the storm at Publix?" I asked.

"Yep. And then in an absolutely _brilliant_ move, Tanya and Lauren helped themselves to the wine aisle. Pretty soon they were blitzed and cried on each other's shoulders when Jake let it slip that you two were an item. By the time the storm blew through, both of the girls were passed out on the floor. Jake came back to the high school and told Dr. Molina what had happened. A bunch of people went back over to Publix to get the girls. I think they're all in the first aide tent, now. Tanya has got to be the stupidest person I've ever known, I swear."

"She could lose her teaching certificate over this for encouraging a minor to drink," Edward said thoughtfully.

"Well, the Mallorys are out for blood. They are blaming all of this on the school and they are going to sue or have Tanya arrested or something. It's a mess."

I sat there in amazement. Could Tanya and Lauren be anymore crazy stupid than they were? And I was quite happy to realize that Jake was a decent guy. He was a hero, in my opinion – a creepy hero but hero just the same.

"I see the gym got hit but is there any more damage here?" Edward asked.

"Besides the trees, not much. I know the coaches are going to cry about the gym, though."

"I'm not crying. We needed a new gym, anyway. It won't affect our soccer season." Edward was showing his prejudice. He was a soccer man, through and through. The poor basketball and volleyball coaches may disagree with him.

"Well, young man, you have some explaining to do," a gruff voice from behind us boomed. We turned to find Dr. Molina staring down at Edward with his arms crossed.

Edward stood and said, "Dr. Molina." He nodded his head like guys do when they greet each other.

"Edward, it was foolish of you to go out in the storm as you did."

"I knew I could make it to Bella's house before the eye passed, Dr. Molina. I had to help her. I don't regret what I did. I'd do it again if I had to."

"Well, you know there were repercussions to your rash deed. You were seen."

"So I am learning. Incidentally, I told Lauren Mallory to her face that she needed to stay with her parents but it's evident she didn't follow my directions. Besides, this wouldn't have happened at all had Tanya not refused Bella admission to the shelter with her dog. Bella had no real choice but to go back to her home and sit out the storm alone."

Dr. Molina sighed, "We'll have to review our policies on pets. I can see that is a real problem for people who love their animals but Bella, you could have requested to talk to me. We'd have found some accommodation for you and your dog here where you'd have been safe."

The dog in question was sitting on my lap ignoring everything around him except for my plate of eggs right in front of him. He was staring at their scrambled deliciousness as though he could inhale them  
through his eyes.

"Thank you, Dr. Molina. I was safe enough staying at my house but I was scared to death. I was so thankful when Edward came."

How was that for a double entendre? And I didn't even mean it to be until after I said it – to our boss of all people. I noticed that Rose choked on her wheat toast.

Dr. Molina harrumphed and turned to go. I did, however, notice a little twinkle in his eye that he couldn't suppress. Maybe he was a romantic at heart, too.

I know my cheeks were blazing when Edward, with a gleam in his own eye, bent down to whisper, "I was glad when I came, too. More than once."

Okay. My cheeks went from an appealing Bozo-the-Clown-nose-red to something clipped from the Towering Inferno.

Rose burst out laughing and Edward sat back down.

"Well, well, well. What did you two find to do while you waited for the storm to pass?" Rosalie asked, leering at us meaningfully.

My cheeks' color speedily progressed from Towering Inferno to a True Blood feeding frenzy. Edward didn't say anything, just gave Rose a shit-eating grin and dug back into his breakfast. I sat there and stirred my eggs around on my plate, totally embarrassed. Rose chortled under her breath as she stood and picked up her trash.

"I'm going to the AT&T truck to see if I can get through to Emmett. Talk to you later."

I stared at my eggs and writhed in mortification. Edward nudged my leg with his knee and said in a concerned voice, "Miss Meteor are you okay?"

"I can't believe I said that to Dr. Molina." I shuddered with embarrassment.

Edward put his arm around the back of my chair. "He didn't notice anything, I'm sure."

"Didn't you see the look in his eye?"

"I don't think it was because of what you said, Bella."

"Oh?" I looked hopefully at him.

"It's actually probably from the hickies I left all over your neck."

"WHAT?" I grabbed my neck and looked at him in horror.

He laughed, "I'm teasing you. There are no hickies."

I swatted at his arm but couldn't help grinning. He seemed so happy and it was quite amazing knowing that I was what was making him so pleased.

He leaned into me and said, "Truly, I think we simply look like what we are, two people in love. I hope you didn't plan to keep this a secret because I think it would be impossible. We would definitely give ourselves away."

I know I was looking at him with stars in my eyes and he was gazing dazedly back at me. Our goofball looks ended when we heard a panicked, "Edward! Edward!"

Rosalie was running back towards us. "We've got to get over to our apartment."

"What's wrong?" Edward asked.

"Leah Clearwater said the Calusa Towers apartment building was hit by a tornado during the storm. We may have lost everything."

Holy Shit.

Fortunately, the chainsaws and back hoes had done their magic on the banyan tree that had been blocking the school's drive, so Edward and I, with Rose following in her car, were able to drive to their apartment. As we drove by Mulligan's Restaurant, we could see it had been completely flooded. That wasn't surprising as it was right on the water. Due to the time of the tides, the storm surge wasn't as great as it could have been but it was still enough to flood most low lying areas. I hoped they could get it up and running again soon. That place was special to me.

We turned on to Edward's street but couldn't get very far down the road. There was wreckage everywhere and the way was blocked. We pulled over and with Rose made our way to their apartment. The devastation was horrendous. One entire side of the building wall and its roof were gone. You could see straight inside to the three floors of apartments, furniture tossed around, belongings strewn everywhere. There was even a sink hanging on the wall ten feet above the ground. However, one good thing was the missing wall was on the opposite side of the building from where Edward and Rosalie's apartment was located. Perhaps their belongings were in good shape.

Rose and I waited on the sidewalk outside the building while Edward threaded his way up the damaged stairs and into their apartment.

While we stood there an older man walked up to us. "Rosie! Are you okay?"

"Oh, Daddy, isn't it awful? It's a good thing no one was here when the tornado hit."

"I told you, Princess, you should have come to my condo for the storm."

"I was fine at the shelter, Daddy," Rosalie didn't quite roll her eyes. "Let me introduce you to Edward's girl friend. She teaches at Parma, too." She extended her had towards me and said, "This is Bella Swan."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Hale."

He shook my hand and smiled. "Edward's girl friend, hunh? That's good news."

I smiled bashfully just as Edward came back out. He and Mr. Hale greeted each other.

"I was just checking on our apartment. You know, Rose, I was skeptical of the way you always covered and sealed everything in Visqueen every time we had a storm but it paid off. Our belongings appear to be in good shape. I could tell that some rain got inside but the furniture isn't damaged at all, I don't think. The apartment isn't livable, though. We'll have to find someplace else to live."

"Rosie, you can always come back home with us. We have an extra bedroom," Mr. Hale offered.

"But what will Edward do?" Rosalie asked.

My eyes met Edward's and I am sure we had the exact same expression. Was it hope, perhaps?

* * *

**AN: **

**Storm surge has to do with air pressure and the straw like effect of something pulling the water up in a hump as the eye passes dragging the excess water with it onshore. It isn't a tidal wave. And I know I didn't explain that well. If a surge hits during high tide, you've got problems. My beta was surprised to hear of there being tornadoes during the hurricane but really that's quite true.**  
**Sometimes more damage is done from tornadoes it spawns than from the hurricane itself. Some of the major damage I saw from Andrew in 1992 was from tornadoes when I drove through Homestead, Florida six months after the event. It looked like a war zone. **

**The most dangerous quadrant of a hurricane is the north-east. This is the part that spawns tornadoes. That part of James passed through Parma first.**

**Thanks, Kris, for the hand holding.**


	22. Chapter 22 Clean Up

Chapter 22: Clean Up

_The clean up after a storm can take from days to weeks to months to years_  
_depending upon the severity of the storm and the readiness of the community_.

* * *

The rest of that day was spent cleaning up after the storm. James was a high category two hurricane, so that meant a lot of foliage damage, some structural damage for light-weight buildings, and heavens, there probably wasn't a roof shingle left in Parma. And of course, when the trees blew down, they took the electrical lines and phone lines with them.

Parma was a beehive of activity. People were coming out of the woodwork to clear out the storm debris. Huge piles of cut trees and limbs were being stacked by the roadside. The city would later pick them up and take them to the landfill to be ground up. After it cured for several months, residents could stop by and get free mulch for their flower beds, all courtesy of Hurricane James and the poor trees he destroyed.

Shingles and broken glass were swept up and shoveled into sturdy bags to be hauled away to recycling centers. FEMA had already started handing out blue tarps for people to use to cover their damaged roofs until roofers could be hired to repair them. We were expecting a visit from the Governor any moment and if the President needed some good press, we might be seeing him, too.

I know, I shouldn't be so cynical.

Rosalie was right, though. Florida had this hurricane thing down to a science. I guess it's because if you scrape off all the tourists and newbies the state is populated by practical and strong people, like Herbert Cope. By reading his handwritten manual, I was prepare for the storm and the recovery from the storm. We were able to start up the generator without much difficulty but it made so much noise and used so much fuel, we decided that we'd run it only during the night hours when I needed a fan to sleep, or when the temperature in the fridge went too low. I moved Eleanor's food from her fridge to mine and just turned hers off.

Edward helped me open the awnings, except for the ones I'd actually damaged getting closed. Those weren't going to budge. I'd a dreadful feeling I was going to owe Mrs. Cope a lot of money for those.

Edward found a chain saw in Eleanor's magical mystery garage that seemed to be the source of everything and started trimming the downed trees. Happily, there were a few that just needed to be straightened up and braced and they'd be fine. This is where being a truck owner comes in handy. Later, a rope was strapped from the tree to the undercarriage of my truck and the tree was able to be eased back upright and propped in place with wooden two by fours.

We had everything under control except for one thing – was Eleanor going to be okay with Edward living with me?

Honestly, there was a part of me that couldn't believe it. Things were happening so fast – maybe too fast. I hoped I didn't wake up one day and discover this was just a huge, terrible mistake. Actually, I what I really feared was that Edward would wake up one day and discover that he made a bad decision.

Road crews cleared the streets enough that with some judicious route planning I could drive my truck to Edward's and help them empty their apartment. Rosalie's father had organized some other people to help, too. We took a couple of loads over to Rosalie's parents' condo and then spent the rest of the time ferrying Edward's belongings to my little house.

He had a bedroom suite that was a mishmash of items and sort of worn out, so Edward decided just to scrap most of it. He kept his dresser though because he needed it. The rest of the furniture in the apartment belonged to Rosalie. Really, Edward didn't own much except for a book case full of books and clothing. I was looking forward to the book case. Most of my books were still in boxes in my storage closet.

We were assuming that Eleanor would agree to have Edward live here at least temporarily. I knew she liked him and really, there wasn't anywhere else for him to go. Our relationship developed so fast, though. As we moved him in, I got more and more quiet and I could tell Edward was watching me speculatively.

As I was unpacking a box of books and arranging them on the book case in the living room, Edward put his arms around me and nuzzled my neck. "What's wrong, Bella?" he asked.

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong."

"You're awfully quiet. Are you sure you're okay with me moving in?"

"Sure, sure. I always wanted a bookcase." I jammed a couple of books on a shelf.

He didn't say anything at first. He just kissed my neck and held me. "Bella, I know this is a lot to take in. I just got through telling you this morning that we'd take it slow and here I am moving in this afternoon. I'll tell you what. As soon as I can, I'll find another place to live so you can have the space and time you need."

For some reason his words brought tears to my eyes. I shoved the box of books on an empty shelf, turned in his arms and buried my face in his chest. "I am sorry, Edward. I don't know what's wrong with me. I need to focus on what I know. When all is said and done, I do love you. I have always had these knee-jerk reactions about relationships and I need to figure this out somehow. I have to learn to get past them. But I don't want space from you. I don't want you anywhere other than right here with me."

He gazed into my eyes and whispered, "My Miss Meteor" and kissed me. Sparks of desire ran all over my body and ended up curling in delicious tendrils of want and need but more than that, the worry in my heart subsided because he made me feel loved – and safe.

I pulled back and said, "Thank you for understanding me. I'm so sorry to be like this. I never learned to have faith in relationships but I know my feelings are illogical. I'm trying not to get all stupid about it."

"I know you, Bella. I know you. I'll give you whatever you need – space, time, love, commitment. I want you to be happy and if you aren't happy with me here, I'll leave."

"Oh my God, don't leave me." I clutched the front of his shirt.

"I won't leave unless you need me to. I mean that."

He looked over my shoulder at the clock and said, "At least not permanently. In a few minutes, I do need to leave for about an hour but I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" I felt panicked at the thought of him going anywhere without me at the moment. I chalked it up to post-storm jitters.

"To mass. It's Sunday and there's a service at five pm. You can go with me if you want."

"Do you think it's still on?"

"Yes, unless the church is damaged. We drove by it today a couple of times and it appeared to be in one piece."

"I'm not dressed for church."

"It won't matter, Bella. I'm sure no one is going to be in their Sunday best today. You don't have to go but you're always welcome to if you want."

I looked down at my dirty shorts and tank top. I wasn't going anywhere dressed like this. "Can you give me five minutes?"

"Sure." The loving look in his eyes made my heart skip a beat or two. I smiled shakily at him and dashed into the bathroom, washed up as best I could and then put on a dress. It was casual, nothing fancy. It was rose –colored and sleeveless but high necked that hit me just above my knees. Renée called it a wiggle dress but she had a fondness for vintage clothing. I just called it conservative. I put on some sandals and pulled my hair up in a loose bun.

When I came out of the bedroom, Edward gaped. "Miss Meteor, you look incredible."

"Incredible? I think you just like me in dresses but thank you, Edward."

I noticed he had changed, too; into a polo and a pair of jeans. "You look pretty fine yourself."

He led the way out of the house. I made sure Poncho had plenty of water and food and I patted him on the head as he settled down into the papasan chair. I may as well start calling it Poncho's chair after this week.  
I was surprised to see how many people had actually made it to church. I'd never been to a Catholic service before and was a little mesmerized by all the customs; the genuflecting, the holy water, the kneeling, the candles, the vestments.

Since he knew I was in new surroundings, Edward selected a seat in the back I guess so I would feel more comfortable. There was no power in the sanctuary so it was stuffy but there was a muted light that shone through the stained glass windows. I watched as motes of dust drifted down through the shafts of colored light. I listened to the simple hymns accompanied by a guitar and watched as the service wrapped around me like a blessing; the thanks that were given for deliverance, the grace that was bestowed out of love. A curious sort of peace settled over me.

From the corner of my eye, I watched Edward as he focused on the liturgy and was struck by the purity of his expression when his eyes closed occasionally in prayer and meditation. For some reason, seeing this, witnessing it, the dread that had been steadily growing in my heart since I met him disappeared. I finally understood.

There was nothing to fear by loving someone, if you loved unconditionally. The more you loved, the more you had to love.

Hoping it was allowed, I reached over to hold Edward's hand and was thrilled when he took it in both of his and smiled. What was it he said his mother said about him, that he had the face of an angel? I more than agreed with her. My heart hammered in my chest and my lips trembled into a smile of their own.

His gaze was intense as he brought my hands up to his lips and kissed the back of each then he put one arm along the back of the pew behind me and still held my other hand. He turned once again to listen as the priest gave his homily.

I was beginning to realize I hadn't been at all aware of a whole plane of understanding. I knew in my gut that Edward was very familiar with this reality. For me, it was like being able to see only in black and white and so, I doubted the existence of color. Then suddenly, like when Dorothy realized she wasn't in Kansas anymore, I was seeing everything in Technicolor. Now, I understood there was something to the spiritual world, a world of faith.

I also realized I was beginning to sound a lot like Renée.

The tranquility I discovered during the mass followed me out of the church. I didn't talk much and neither did Edward as we drove back to my, now our, home. I was still taking it all in.

"I see why you make a point to go to church, Edward."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. The things that were eating at me before aren't anymore."

He smiled and lifted my hand to his lips again and kissed my knuckles. We wove our way through the streets and finally got to Eleanor's place. We were surprised to see a strange car in the driveway.

I don't know why I was been surprised when I saw who was sitting on my front step. Of course he would've taken the first flight he could get out of Washington State. He was always rather Quixotic in his actions—always looking for the grand gesture. Here was his opportunity and he took it.

"Mike? What are you doing here?" I asked.

He stood up bashfully and said, "I was so worried about you, Bella."

"But what are you doing here?" I was acutely aware of Edward standing next to me.

"I came to see if you were okay."

How could I be mad about that?

"I'm fine, Mike. I appreciate your concern but I'm really okay. You didn't have to come clear across the country."

We stood there uncomfortably staring at each other until Edward stepped forward and extended his hand,

"Mike, I'm Edward Cullen." As they shook, I felt Edward put his other hand proprietarily on my waist. Hmmm. Was Edward staking a claim?

Mike mumbled a hello and looked at Edward curiously.

"Mike, Edward is my boyfriend." I hated to see the pain in Mike's eyes as he heard that news but what was I going to do?

"Have you had dinner?" I asked.

"Uhm, no. I guess I should be going."

"Where are you going to go, Mike?"

"I could go back to the air port."

"Which airport?"

"I flew into Miami and drove over here."

Miami was over two hours of swamp across the state from Parma. Geesh. I couldn't let Mike go without feeding him at least.

But it was Edward who said, "Mike, why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Uhm," he looked at me uncertainly.

"Mike, for real. You came all this way. At least I can feed you."

I led him over to my little house while Edward went to turn on the generator.

"Wow, you guys were prepared for the hurricane," Mike commented.

"Actually, my landlady was. I just followed the directions. So, how are you doing Mike?"

"Okay. I got a job."

"Great. Doing what?"

"I work for Starbucks. I can get you all the coffee you want, now. In fact, I brought some with me."

"You're working as a barista?" I was incredulous. Mike never seemed like he'd enjoy that sort of thing.

"No. I actually work for corporate. I travel a lot."

"That sounds interesting."

"Yeah." We were quiet for a bit while I got out a package of hamburger deciding to grill some patties.

"So, Bella, you already have another boyfriend?"

I swallowed. The way he said it sounded as though he felt I was a flighty idiot but I guess from his perspective I was. He had to chase me for six months before I'd even consent to go out for coffee with him.

"The short answer, Mike, is yes. Actually, Edward is more to me than just a boyfriend. I love him very much."

That hurt Mike, too. I'd never told him that I loved him in the years we were together but he never said it to me either. Not that I ever wanted him to.

"I'm sorry to tell you these things so bluntly but I respect you too much to not tell you the truth. You have to know that I am happy with Edward."

"Happily ever after?" Mike choked out. "Does he treat you well?"

I thought about all the help Edward had given me. The little tokens he left on my desk. The consideration he'd shown me at every turn. The fact he ran across town during a hurricane to make sure I was safe. "Yes. He treats me very well, better than I deserve."

Mike nodded. "That's all I ask. You deserve the best, Bella." Shit, he had tears in his eyes. I decided to give him something to do.

"Mike, would you mind going into that box over there and locating the Coleman stove? I am going to make hamburgers. I don't want to cook them inside and heat up the house." He seemed to be relieved to be doing something and went to look for the stove as I asked.

I was wondering what was taking Edward so long. He had started the generator quite a while ago. I peered out of the front window.

"OH SHIT!"

Michael looked up at me, with the green folding stove in his hands, "What's wrong, Bella?"

I didn't answer him. I hit the front screened door like it was my mortal enemy and it popped open like it knew better than to argue. I ran out to the driveway, which now had four vehicles parked in it.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

Oh my God. It looked like Charlie and Edward were having a standoff. Dad had a mulish look on his face and his arms were folded in front of his chest. Edward was standing there facing him, his hands out a little from his sides as though to prove he was unarmed. If Dad's looks could castrate, Edward would now be a eunuch.

"Well, Bella, I'm just acting like any father would when he hadn't heard from his daughter for three days despite the fact a hurricane was barreling in on her. I'd no idea whether you were alive or dead."

"I called you this morning and left a voice mail. My phone broke and I couldn't get in touch with you once the lines were down."

"It looks as though you made it through just fine." He didn't sound particularly happy about that to be honest.

"Yes. We're fine." I walked to stand beside Edward and took his hand. "You've met Edward?"

"I have." Dad didn't look overjoyed at the experience.

I slanted him a stern look. "Be nice, Dad."

"Hmmmph," he grunted and mimed a halo above his pointy head. Finally, he looked me over more closely and noticed I was wearing a dress. "You're sure dressed up for having just survived a hurricane."

"I didn't have time to change." I couldn't resist smiling goofily up at my Edward, "We just got back from church."

"CHURCH!" For some reason Charlie was upset about that.

"Yeah, Dad." I was confused.

"YOUNG LADY, HOW COULD YOU BE SO HARE-BRAINED?" Dad's face turned a stunning fuchsia.

I blinked, really baffled now. "What's wrong with that?" Dad had never had problems with religion before; at least as far as other people practiced it. As long as they didn't try to shove it down his throat, he'd always been pretty much live and let live.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH…" His color was alarming. He was so mad he couldn't even finish his sentence. By this time Mike had wandered out of the cottage, still holding the stove.

"MIKE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" my Dad shouted. I was beginning to wonder if 911 was in operation in the aftermath of the storm and how I would get in touch them when my Dad keeled over from his impending heart attack or stroke.

Just then an old VW van pulled in behind Charlie's rental and back-fired, a cloud of smoke spewing from the tail pipe.

"HOLY SHITOLY." That's all I could muster saying. Renée and Phil, enshrouded with another kind of noxious cloud, climbed out of the flower power stickered relic.

I looked at my boyfriend, who to tell the truth appeared more amused than shocked, and shrugged, "Well, you wanted to meet my parents. Here ya go."

"BELLY!" Renée tackled me- her standard method of greeting me anymore, it seemed. This woman never did things by halves. This time however, she came at me from an angle that knocked me into Edward and suddenly us all three of us were sprawling on the ground.

Edward was busy trying to make sure I was uninjured and I was too mortified to react, so it was Renée who got herself together first. She popped up to a sitting position and looked at Edward and said, "YOU! You amazed and are amazed by my daughter! You love her!"

Edward sat up, and holding me close, laughed. "Yes, Mrs. Dwyer, I'm definitely amazed. And I do love her."

"Yippee!" Renée clapped her hands, "see Phil, I told you! I knew it."

Phil just stood there and smiled obediently. I remembered that he and Charlie had never met and my mortification just magnified. This was awkward all around. Edward is going to really have regrets now.

My dad was sniffing as though he smelled something that didn't agree with him but at least his color was approaching normal again. That was good. I'd had no idea how I was going to be able to get a hold of the rescue squad if he had passed out on me.

"Renée," he said in a stern voice, "have you been smoking marijuana?"

Renée rose elegantly to her feet. Now, why didn't I inherit her gracefulness? "Now, Charlie, don't be a drag. A little ganja never hurt anyone."

"Last I checked, it was illegal in this state, Renée."

"Pish. You aren't the popo here, Swan."

Desperate to change the subject I said, "Mom, Dad. Why don't all of you come in? I was just getting ready to make dinner."

"Good, I have the munchies anyway," my Mother said.

Charlie just muttered in disgust. Phil stood there grinning like a fool and Mike was probably counting his blessings now that he didn't tie himself down with me and my crazy-assed parents. And Edward - he had an amused smile on his beautiful face as if he was fine with being transported into crazy town.

Edward and I got everyone herded into the house and I turned on the fans that Mr. Cope had stashed in his garage for this sort of thing since we weren't running the air conditioner. I gave everyone a chore to do and that kept the peace for a while.

Poncho was not too happy with all the newcomers, so he huffed and high tailed it into the bedroom and curled up on top of my pillows on the bed. I knew he'd make his appearance once we started eating. I had that little monster figured out.

Mom was slicing onions. Phil was setting up a folding table out in the carport and Dad and Mike were pulling folding chairs out of the garage attic. I hoped Mrs. Cope wouldn't mind us making use with her stuff.

I kept Edward with me. For one thing, I didn't want him to get the third degree from anyone without me there to intervene and two; since Poncho abandoned me, he was the only thing that was keeping me sane. I only wished I could figure out a way to keep Renée's mouth shut while we prepared the food but that was an impossibility.

"So, Edward, you and Bella work together?"

"Yes. We are both English teachers at Parma High."

"Is that how you met?"

"Pretty much."

"When did you meet?"

Edward smiled, "The first day that Bella got to town." He looked at me and winked. "She fell for me right away."

"I knew it!"

"No, Mom, Edward means I fell on him. I tripped and he caught me."

"It was like you were fated to be."

I shrugged. I was beginning to believe the same thing.

"I'm so happy for you both. But Bella, why is Mike here?" She frowned when she said my former boyfriend's name.

"I don't know, Mom. I found him on my door step when we got home from church this evening."

"CHURCH?" Wow, she had the same reaction Charlie did, who actually picked that moment to come back inside.

"Yes, young lady. How could you be so stupid?" Charlie asked again. I realized I hadn't answered his earlier question.

"What do you mean?"

"You two hardly know each other!" he said.

"I know him well enough." I was a grown woman for goodness sakes. Who was he to scold me on my boyfriend choices or my living arrangements? And how did he know that Edward was living with me? We just figured that out ourselves.

"Well, look at the mess your mother and I made out of things."

What was he talking about? They certainly made a mess by coming here and intruding on my perfect new life, that's for sure.

"Dad, I'm not Mom and Edward's not you. We won't make the same mistakes you did. We'll make our own, I'm sure, but it doesn't mean it won't work out for us just because it didn't for the two of you."

"Hmmmph. Well, you made your bed, I guess you'll have to lay in it."

I sent him out with the onions to fry up in the skillet that Mike was preheating. Phil and Dad had found a bunch of tiki torches in the garage as well and Phil was setting them up around the now darkened yard, occasionally taking a toke from one as he lit it. At least he had the good grace not to do it in front of my Dad. And I probably needed to stop him from doing it at all. I'd a reputation to maintain in the community now.

The table was set for our impromptu cook out and soon we were eating hamburgers and hot dogs and all the potato chips I had. I broke out beer and cokes as well. I was fast going through the two hundred dollars worth of groceries I had just bought. I hoped everyone was willing to pitch in for another grocery run if they stayed here.

We sat at the table after dinner - and I was right, Poncho had given everyone the sad eye as we ate, the little con-artist - and Edward and I recounted how we got through the storm the day before. Of course we left some details out but I'm sure my blushing might have given them away. Edward was kind and gracious and forbearing and seemed to be in good humor. He was taking all of this like a champ. I was so grateful and amazed.

Charlie had found some camping equipment in the magical garage attic and decided to camp out on the lawn. Mom and Phil were going to sleep in the van like the throw-back hippies they were and I offered Mike the futon for the evening. No one seemed to comment on the obvious fact that Edward and I were going to share the bedroom and I thought that was weird. For sure, I thought, Charlie would've objected to it.

Maybe he was finally accepting the idea that I was a grown woman after all.

We were just getting ready to clean up when I noticed Poncho perk up, his ears were at attention, his tail was straight up and wagging, even his fur was standing on end as he looked towards the street. A few minutes later, I heard the familiar sounds of a revved up cherry red Ford Mustang driving up the road and then the cheery tootle of the horn. Eleanor was back.

"DUCKS! You made it! See, I told ya you would! Shame about all the trees, though." The old lady was a sight.

She got her wish. Her hair was braided with beads and shells. Poncho started wailing and crying as he ran up to greet her. She picked him up and he turned in her arms and gave me the dirtiest look! Really, what was that dog's issue?

"Oh, Eleanor. I've such an amazing story to tell you," was all I could say. "But, first let me introduce you to my mother and father …and step-father… and friend." I pointed out each individual and she greeted them in her friendly, down-to-earth manner.

"We made it through the hurricane okay here but Edward's apartment got slammed by a tornado and he has no place to live, so do you think he could live here?" Everyone looked surprised at my request except for Eleanor and Edward.

"Oh Ducks, of course he can. That guest house is called the Honeymoon Cottage for a reason. Everyone who has ever lived in it either moved in as newlyweds or got married pretty quickly after they did. Why should you and Edward be any different? Congratulations. Like I said before, the two of you were MFEO."

WHAT? Honeymoon Cottage? Newlyweds? Married? CONGRATULATIONS? What was the ditzy old woman talking about?

"Bella, it would have been nice had you first asked your landlady if it was okay to live here with your husband," Renée commented. "Some people don't like those sorts of surprises."

"Yeah, like me," Charlie muttered.

"Bella will make him a great wife," Mike decided to contribute for some unknown reason. At least Phil was too stoned to make a comment.

My eyes were bugging out. Why did everyone think Edward and I had gotten married? Married! I was feeling faint and looked at Edward in a panic. He was gazing warily at me as though he was afraid of my reaction.

I remembered him telling me he feared I would run away from him. I took a deep breath and willed the panic away. I smiled back at him, trying to show that I wasn't running. Not now. Not ever.

But, still I looked around at everyone and said in a firm voice, "Edward and I are NOT married."

* * *

**AN**

**FEMA – Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is actually an EXCELLENTLY run program that is supposed to assist local agencies when there is some sort of disaster. I know they got a bad rap when Katrina blew through New Orleans but I posit that was the local agencies lack of forethought, not FEMAs. In 2004, Florida was hit by four hurricanes, Charlie, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne. Some places in the state got hit twice. FEMA was doing their job.**

**MFEO - From Sleepless in Seattle stands for Made For Each Other.**


	23. Chapter 23 Fair Weather and Calm Seas

Chapter 23: Fair Weather and Calm Seas

Fair weather and calm seas combine to make for happy journeys.  
Parma, Florida, September 1st, High 92F, Low 80F; Barometric pressure 31.2 inHG.

* * *

It took a few explanations but we finally got everyone on the same page. It seemed that by telling Mike that I loved Edward,he believed that meant we got married, as if only married people confessed to loving each other. Weird.

And apparently, Charlie and Renée both thought the only reason anyone ever went to church was to get buried or married and since both Edward and I were alive, that only left the one thing. Even weirder.

Phil, unsurprisingly, didn't have an opinion. He was the perfect example of being smoked stupid.

When Eleanor heard about Charlie's plan to sleep out in the yard and Mike's to sleep on my futon, she wouldn't hear of it. She offered them the two extra bedrooms in her house. I was relieved about that. It would've been awkward having Mike nearby when Edward and I went to bed. I was sure we couldn't be that quiet.

Renée and Phil insisted on sleeping in their van. I knew it was so they could spark up when they wanted to, so I didn't raise too many objections and Eleanor was content to let them be, as well.

Finally, Edward and I were alone again in what was now our little "love nest" as Eleanor called it. I looked sheepishly at him. "What a day, hunh?"

He laughed and put his arms around me. "Quite exciting, to tell you the truth."

"You are pretty marvelous, Mr. Cullen."

"Marvelous? How so?"

"You didn't run away screaming after meeting my insane family."

"No. I like them. How could I not? They love you so much they rushed here to make sure you were okay after the Hurricane, even your ex-boyfriend. I know exactly how they feel." He tucked me under his chin and wrapped his arms around me. I felt him sigh.

"So, you aren't worried about Mike?" I asked. It was probably an unfair girlfriendy question but I was nosy and selfishly wanted reassurance.

"Not especially."

"Why not?" I tried not to whine.

"It's always been your choice, Bella. I figured if you wanted him, you'd be with him and you're not. There's nothing Mike can do to change your heart, I think. And I believe you when you say that you love me, so I don't worry about Mike or anyone, really."

"You're so smart. Let's go to bed, okay?" I suggested.

"My pleasure," he grinned.

I led the way into my –uh, our – bedroom and was surprised when Edward stopped at the door.

"Bella, there's something I should've clarified with you last night but didn't. I was so caught up in the idea that you were safe and out of danger that I let my emotions and desires get the best of me."

My heart dropped into my stomach. Oh, please, God, don't tell me he regretted making love to me. Oh no, please. That would kill me. I sunk down on the bed, suddenly nauseated.

Edward sat next to me and took my hand, "My Miss Meteor, what's wrong?"

"You're going to tell me you're sorry about having sex with me." There was a knot in my throat and I could barely get the words out. Tears were going to come next and I was beginning to dread that. I didn't want Edward to see me dissolve.

"No, my love. I'm not sorry at all. It was glorious. I'll never regret expressing the love I have for you with my body as well as my words. I just wanted to make sure your desires and mine were the same. I'm afraid I want too much from you – more than you're ready to give."

I was surprised he was unsure about my feelings concerning this. Hadn't we discussed this? "I remembered what you told me at Mulligan's. I understood what it meant to you when you made love to me."

His piercing green eyes looked deeply into my own, "And what did it mean to me?"

"It meant that if our birth control failed, you would consider making a family with me."

He nodded, "You're half right. So, what did it mean to you?"

"Don't you remember? I told you when we discussed it that the girl would have to agree with you. Well, then… I must have agreed."

He laughed in relief and said, "Good."

"But I was only half right?"

"Yes, only half right. Bella, I wouldn't consider making a family with you. I would be delighted to make a family with you."

"I have a lot of faith in my pills," I smiled.

He smiled back at me. "I have a lot of faith in you."

"You don't mind that I practice birth control?"

"No, why should I?"

"Because you are pretty conscientious and I thought the Catholic Church didn't approve of contraception."

He sighed. "It's something I struggle with and I've been accused of being a cafeteria Catholic on more than one occasion."

"What's that?"

"It's a person who claims to be Catholic yet picks and chooses which parts they'll practice and which they won't. I guess this is one of the places where I veer from the church's teachings. I don't agree with their ban on contraceptives and, as you probably figured out, premarital sex. I've wrestled with it, though. I want to be obedient to the church but I know I'm not. I'm afraid I'm a bad example for you."

Before I could say anything, he shook his head and went on, "My reasoning boils down to this: don't let anyone tell you that the church doesn't believe in birth control. It actually promotes Natural Family Planning which is a more scientific form of the rhythm method. I was always taught by the church itself that sin is spawned from intent. To me, it doesn't matter what method you choose if your intent is to prevent conception, that's what matters. That's what God weighs, in my opinion. I believe that if it's okay to prevent conception through NFP, then it's okay to prevent it in other ways as well."

"I was beginning to believe I'd corrupted you."

"You corrupted me? Never. You've healed me, Bella." He put both arms around me.

I was astonished. "Healed you? How?"

"For years, I closed myself off from many things, in repentence for my thoughtless, selfish behavior as an adolescent. You've taught me to hope that one day I'll have a future to share with someone; that maybe I didn't deserve to be condemned to a life alone."

I reached up and caressed his cheek, gazing into his soft, loving eyes. "I do love you, Edward."

He whispered, "My Miss Meteor, my beautiful, amazing girl." He lifted my chin and kissed me gently, with reverence.

We decided to help each other with our sponge baths before we went to bed and I'm sure you could figure out how that went. Suffice it to say, it led us to fall hot and bothered into bed where we spent a pretty fantastic hour finding ways to express our passion for each other.

I loved when he pulled me flat on top of him and ran his hands down my sides to hold my hips close to his own. The feeling of his naked body under mine from chest to feet was electric. I felt him under me, aching for connection. I moved over him and watched as his eyes grew wide and his head fell back in pure pleasure, as he gasped in delight. Leaning over, I kissed his collar bone and sucked on his neck as we tangled together, sensuously and sinuously, taking it slow until neither one of us could hold back any longer. He rolled me over and pulled my legs over his shoulders. He went so very deep that way, and it felt so very good. His movements quickened until soon I was flying, gripping the sheets in both hands, my back arched, gasping, physically effervescing, and totally emotionally fulfilled. Edward leaned down and kissed me as he spun away himself, groaning his ecstasy into my mouth.

We lay there wrapped in each other, labored breathing and hearts pounding in perfect contentment as sleep found us. As far as I was concerned, he'd never be alone again.

Renée and Phil decided to leave the next morning. This was shortly after I requested they knock off the toke sticks while they were here. I just couldn't risk the scandal of having them run afoul of the law in the town where I was teaching.

Besides, even though they liked to be hippy-ish, sleeping in a forty year old van was bound to be uncomfortable in the sticky heat that had come our way since James passed through.

After they pulled away, we were delighted to find there was finally cell reception. To be precise though, for everyone but me. I looked once again at my broken phone and sat it down with a heavy sigh.

"It's still not working?" Edward asked when he saw my reaction.

"No. It's completely dead."

He pursed his lips and then said, "I bet I could help with that." He disappeared into our room and then returned with a small box. "This is my old cell. Why don't we try putting your Sim card in it and see if it works? Eleanor's got the generator going, so we can charge the battery."

After some time with the phone on the charger, I had a working cell again. Great!

A few seconds later, I saw that my mail box was full. Not so great.

I erased the dozens of messages from my father – didn't even want to hear those—and the few from my mother. I also got rid of Mike's. I figured I'd seen them all in person and so, listening to their probably overly-worried messages wouldn't be necessary. I saw several from Edward from the day of the storm. I did listen to those and was immediately sorry I didn't do something to put his mind at ease. Just the worried tone of his voice made me hurt for him.

There were several other messages from friends in Washington. I decided to blast a text to them letting them know I was fine and just let it go. I figured I would eventually catch up with them individually.

Edward, Mike and my dad were up on top of Eleanor's house, trying to get the FEMA issued blue tarp situated over her shingle-less roof. It would be a temporary measure until the insurance adjusters and roofers did their magic. Eleanor was directing them from below.

"Yes… a little more…to the left…no, UP… oh, I meant down…Yes. That's it!" She was putting her whole body into her directions.

Poncho sat at her side ignoring me as though I was chopped liver. No, knowing that little pig, he'd pay rapt attention if I was chopped liver but as I was just plain old Bella and evidently on his shit list, I was currently given the cold shoulder. He was such a little bastard. A cute little bastard, though. He had such an old man personality. I couldn't help but to laugh at him.

"Ah, Bella?" my dad called down to me. "Why don't you take Mrs. Cope inside for a glass of iced tea or something. The sun's pretty strong today."

That was dad-code for me to get Eleanor the hell out of the way so they could get some work done. He usually wasn't quite that tactful but I guess he didn't want to make waves with my landlady.

"Eleanor, I have something I want to show you. It was a life-saver for me. Did you know your husband left detailed instructions in your storm goody box for managing during a hurricane?"

She had scooped up the diva-dog and was following me over to my house, "Really? I didn't know."

"I think you'll like to read what he wrote. It was evident he loved you very much."

She got a pensive look on her face and said, "Yes. Herbert was one of a kind. Such a wonderful man he was. I miss him so much."

By this time, we were in my house and I gestured for the old lady to sit on the futon and I went over to get two cokes out of the fridge and the notebook out of the goody box.

"Here, Eleanor. Look at this." We sat there together on the futon and read Mr. Cope's last love letter to his wife. That's really what that notebook was after all, a letter that expressed his care and devotion to the vibrant lady next to me. We were both in tears before it was over as Eleanor recounted stories about one thing or another of their life together. Poncho defrosted a bit, probably picking up on our emotional state and realizing we needed sympathy so he curled up between us.

One of the last things in the notebook was a list of people Eleanor could rely on to help her recover from the storm. These were old friends and relatives of theirs and it gave Eleanor the idea, since cell phones were now working, to contact them right away.

I left her to it and went out to check on the men. They were now preparing to drape my roof in blue plastic. I decided to get out of their way by picking up the yard as best I could. There was no way I was going to attempt to use the chainsaw, though.

After a hard day's work, we had finally gotten Eleanor's yard in pretty good shape for the most part. The downed limbs and trees were piled high along the curb and Charlie and Edward used my truck to pull up the remaining trees that were leaning over.

In the meantime, the water had come on and I almost celebrated by sneaking off to have a cold shower but that wouldn't be fair to the others. The electricity was still out –hence the cold shower- and FPL was predicting it would stay out for several days. It seemed that several transformers had exploded as well as practically all of the lines went down during the storm and that contributed to the problem.

School and all school related activities were called off for the week as the facilities were still being used by the Red Cross. But slowly, inch by inch, things were returning to normal.

We celebrated at the Cope manse by repopulating Eleanor's lawn with her menagerie. She was contemplating getting a terra cotta alligator for the pond – to make it more realistic, she said.

I offered to pay to repair the awnings I broke but her response was to the point.

"NO WAY! I am thankful you cared enough to make sure all the awnings were down. From reading Herbert's notebook, I discovered that I didn't do the maintenance on them as I was supposed to. You have to oil the things a couple of times a year. I'd forgotten about that but now I remember Herbert going out and working on them occasionally."

She laughed and said, "I am such a ditz.

"So don't worry about the awnings, honey. That's what insurance is for. Aro, my agent, has convinced me to replace all the awnings with hurricane windows! No more shutters or awnings to worry about and much more light will shine inside. I am going to get a new roof and, Ducks, I am going to have both of our houses repainted! When I was in Nassau, I saw the cheeriest painted houses all around the place; they were so bright and happy. I was thinking that I'd paint your house a brilliant electric blue and my house hot pink! Won't that be awesome?"

Her excitement was contagious, although the colors weren't what I'd choose for myself, they fit the little lady's personality to a "t."

I whispered to Edward in passing, "You won't mind living in a neon blue house, will you?"

He smiled tenderly at me and said, "I don't care where I live, as long as it is with you."

Melt. So, maybe we could celebrate the water being turned on with a shared shower? But it would be with cold water and that would defeat my purpose. Damn!

Over the next few days, Dad and Edward worked side by side sawing logs, raking up glass and taking off awnings. I helped as much as I could but I was more in the way than anything else, so on Monday I went down to Parma High to see if I could help out at the Red Cross center there. Mike went with me which worried me at first. I didn't want him hanging around being a nuisance. But Mike didn't stick with me; he wandered off to help in another location and left me at the food tent where I was working.

By Wednesday, Rosalie was helping at the shelter, too, and we got caught up on our news.

"…and so, there was my ex-boyfriend, my father, my mother, my step-father, and Eleanor all thinking Edward and I had just gotten married, simply because I went to church with him. Isn't that ridiculous? You couldn't make stuff like this up."

Rosalie was bent over laughing. "Oh, stop Bella; I am going to pee in my pants." I laughed with her.

"That felt good. I don't think I've cracked a smile in days," Rosalie said.

"Why?"

"There's not been much to smile about. The apartment was destroyed and, what's worse, Emmett's parents' house was demolished. A tree fell on it."

"Gee, Rosalie, I am so sorry. What are they going to do?"

"Well, they have a place to stay for a while but they're elderly. Emmett is worried to death about them."

"It must suck for him to be so far away with all this going on here."

Rosalie looked gloomy and said, "Yeah."

Sighing, she changed the subject and asked, "What is your ex-boyfriend still doing here, Bella?"

"I don't really know. He helped out for a while up at Eleanor's but Charlie and Edward seemed to have that under control. For the past few days, he's come down here to volunteer. He never says much about what he does. It's a mystery to me."

"Ms Hale? Where do you want these?" Alice was leading a bemused and heavily laden Jasper over to where Rosalie and I were working. It seemed that both kids showed up to work at the shelter the day after the storm and finally, Mr. Jasper Whitlock noticed Miss Mary Alice Brandon. I wondered if she fell on him.

Rosalie pointed over to an empty table and Alice unloaded the cases of cereal Jasper was carrying onto it. I noticed he never took his eyes off of her. I don't think he even noticed I was there at all. Ah, young love-so cute.

Rose rolled her eyes at them and, I grinned as I returned to work dividing up supplies into family packs for storm survivors. I noticed that Jake Black was helping unload one of the tractor trailers that had come in full of donations. I wanted to praise him for his heroism during the hurricane but I didn't know how to go about doing it gracefully. I couldn't say, for example, "What do you know, Jake, your stalker-like tendencies saved the day!" Though honestly, that didn't seem to sound very sincere.

Around mid-afternoon, there was a disturbance on the other side of the tent. I looked up to see Mr. and Mrs. Mallory storm in from the parking lot.

"Where's Jacob Black?" Mr. Mallory demanded.

Someone pointed to the trailer and the angry couple stomped over there.

"Mr. Black, we want to talk to you," Mr. Mallory called into the trailer.

Jacob slowly walked out to where the Mallorys were standing. "What about?"

"We are holding you and Ms Whitehorse accountable for the condition my daughter was in after the hurricane on Saturday."

Jake was stunned. "What? You mean like her alive condition? Because without my assistance, you'd be planning her funeral right about now."

Mr. Mallory blustered, "You were an adult encouraging her to drink alcoholic beverages during the storm. You didn't prevent Ms Whitehorse from striking her. You didn't prevent her from going outside in the first place."

Everyone stopped to stare at the scene the Mallorys were making.

Jake got red in the face and after a few seconds, it was as if Mount Vesuvius exploded.

"Listen, you asshole, it wasn't my responsibility to keep tabs on your psychotic daughter, it was yours, so where in the hell were you? I had nothing to do with her choice to get into the wine at Publix. In fact, I told her not to. You must be stupid if you haven't noticed your daughter does whatever she damn well pleases while the two of you pretend she's a perfect angel. I told her she'd be held accountable for her choices but she drank the alcohol anyway.

"As far as preventing Tanya from striking her, I'd say Ms Whitehorse was acting in self-defense. Do you see this black eye I have? Well your little angel was the one to give it to me. You just give me the excuse, motherfucker, and I'll have your little bitch of a daughter arrested for assault quicker than you can write a blank check."

Jake drew himself up to his considerable full height and looked down on the diminutive Mr. Mallory who backed off in the face of such a spot-on verbal take down. Jake pointed a finger at him and said in a menacing tone, "You got it?"

Mr. Mallory was gabbling as he tried to come up with an intelligent response but nothing was coming out.

"I'm out of here." Jake wheeled around, walked out to his truck and was soon tearing out of the parking lot.

Leah walked up to stand next to Rosalie and me as we stood there, open mouthed and astonished. Who knew Jake had that in him? Slowly, one-by-one, the witnesses to this scene started clapping and cheering Jake as the Mallorys, completely humiliated, left the way they came in. I figured they wouldn't take to heart what Jake said, they'd just put all the blame on Tanya now and she was nowhere to be seen.

"Jake's going to the rez," Leah smirked.

"The reservation? Why?" I asked.

"Local cops can't touch him there. They'll have to go through Chief Billy and there's no way the chief is going to along with the Mallorys. He knows they're full of shit." Shaking her head she went back to what she had been doing before the altercation, as did Rosalie and I.

We were almost finished with our tasks. Rosalie went inside to get some more garbage bags when a jeep pulled into the parking lot and a big, bear of a guy wearing army fatigues got out and walked towards our tent. I knew in a moment that he must be Emmett. I'd seen pictures of him when I visited Rosalie and Edward's apartment.

Smiling, I went over to him as he looked around and said, "Hello, I bet you're Emmett McCarty, aren't you?"

He grinned, two adorable dimples appearing on his cheeks, and said, "Sure am."

"I'm Bella Swan. I work with Rosalie and have heard so much about you. She'll be so happy to see you."

"You're Bella Swan? The amazing Bella Swan?"

I blushed and nodded. "I suppose I am."

Emmett laughed and said, "You're all Edward has talked about for weeks. Where is he?"

I was delighted that Edward's best friend already knew about me. "He's up at our house getting things put to right. I'm sure he'll want to see you soon."

"Yeah. Rose told me that he moved in with you. Sure is out of character for him. He must be in love."

I really needed to learn to have conversations with people without blushing like an Edwardian virgin. Unfortunately, I hadn't learned that yet. "I guess we may be. I know you're looking for Rosalie. She went into the building for a moment. She'll be right back."

Just then, we heard an excited shout, "EMMETT!" and suddenly Rosalie was there, jumping into Emmett's arms. He swung her around as they kissed until finally wrapping her legs around his waist, she leaned back and said, "It's about time you got here."

Laughing, he kissed her again and then sat her down on her feet. He said, "It took a while for the Red Cross to wave its magic wand and claim that there was a true family emergency for me back here. They've released me from military duty for a month and then I'll have to go back."

She hugged him. "I can't believe you're here. You've met Bella?"

"Yes, sure have. Do you think she can handle Edward?" He winked at me as he spoke.

Rosalie laughed and answered, "I think she's already handled him."

I wondered if there was a makeup that could hide my face's tendency for turning cherry red. Both Rosalie and Emmett laughed.

Rosalie asked Emmett, "Have you been to see your folks, yet?"

"Not yet. I need to get over there."

Rose nodded. "Okay. Let me say good-bye to the manager and I'll go with you."

I piped up, "Emmett, let us know if we can help your folks, as well. We're just about done up at Eleanor's."

"Thanks, Bella. I'd appreciate that. Tell Edward I'll call him later."

With arms wrapped around each other, Rosalie and Emmett left and I finished my duties. Mike still hadn't returned to the shelter and I had no idea where he was. I was a little frustrated because I'd ridden down here with him in his rental car.

Just as I was getting ready to call Edward to come pick me up, Mike pulled into the school parking lot with Tanya Whitehorse in the passenger's seat. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I watched in disbelief when she pulled him over the console for a kiss before they got out of the car.  
Holy Shitoly!

Tanya walked into the school administration building as Mike sauntered towards me, his hands in his pockets.

"So, Mike. You've met Tanya?" I asked in surprise.

He had a goofy grin on his face. "Yeah, isn't she wonderful?"

I stared at him and said, "How did you meet?"

"I was helping out in the medical tent the first day we came down here and she was there. We started talking and we just clicked. I've been helping over at her place ever since."

"Wow, Mike." I was stunned and honestly didn't know what to say. I mean, Tanya was a walking, talking skank-whore; I had it on expert authority, aka, my landlady. And Mike was my ex, but still...

"Bella, I think I'm in love," Mike said.

"Oh, wow, Mike. That was quick."

He gave me a narrow look. "It was quick for you and Edward, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

"So, you're saying it couldn't be quick for Tanya and me, too?"

"No, I'm not saying anything of the sort. I don't know what to say, honestly."

"How about congratulations?"

"Congratulations." I know I didn't sound really enthused. "I'm just surprised, Mike."

"Because you thought I was still hung up on you?" he demanded.

"Mike, no. I'm glad you've moved on, really." I smiled, trying to get him to see how sincere I was. "I'm truly glad. Majorly glad. Why don't we go back up to the house?"

"No. I have to wait for Tanya. She's having a meeting with her bastard of a boss. How can you stand to work for that jerk, Bella?"

"He's always been very good to me, Mike." Well, except for not telling me about all the coursework I had to do, he had been. "He's a dedicated educator."

"Well, he's throwing Tanya to the dogs. The Mallorys are pressing charges against her for child endangerment or something ridiculous and your principal agrees with them, the bastard."

I tried to say this as gently as I could, "Mike, no teacher in their right mind would sit down to drink with a student who is a minor."

He sneered at me, "She was under stress and besides the kid acts like an adult."

Yeah, a deranged adult.

What could I say to him? He needed to be careful. I had a gut feeling that Tanya was using Mike to get to Edward but then, could Mike be using Tanya to get to me? I'd never known him to be spiteful before. I truly hoped he wasn't getting in over his head.

"Well, let me call Edward to come and get me. Are you coming back for dinner?"

"No, I'm sure Tanya and I will have dinner together, so probably not."

"Okay, Mike. Just let me know that you're alright."

He nodded and walked over to lean against his car and I made my call. A few minutes later, I was climbing into Edward's car. My heart leaped at the sight of him and the amazing smile he gave me. I wondered if he would always make me feel this way. I had a feeling he would.

I leaned over the console, much like Tanya did to Mike, and kissed him. Sparks flew, as always. I felt so strange; buoyant, light-hearted. I realized that I was happy.

"I love you, Edward." I traced his jaw with my finger tip as I felt his arms tighten around me.

"I'm so glad, my Miss Meteor." The look in his eyes was glorious and wonderful.

"I have so much to tell you." I grinned. "I met Emmett today."

"Emmett! No kidding? He's back?" Edward was excited.

"Yep. He got hardship leave or something to come home and help his family recover from the storm. Rosalie told me a tree fell on his parents' home and demolished it."

"Oh, crap. I should've checked on them."

"They're okay. I don't think there was anything you could have done. Rosalie said they had found a place to live temporarily and now that Emmett is here, I think everything will be fine. I offered our help since we have things pretty well organized up at Eleanor's."

Edward nodded, "I'll call him when we get back home."

"Also, something strange happened…"

Edward looked at me inquisitively as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Mike met Tanya and now, from what he says, they're an item."

"Oh, really?" Edward looked surprised.

"Yeah. He's been hanging around with her the last few days. It's weird."

Edward just shrugged.

"But anyway, Tanya had a meeting this afternoon with Dr. Molina concerning the Lauren incident."

"There's bound to be a price for Tanya to pay."

"I tried to explain that to Mike but he didn't seem to get it."

Edward shrugged again. "I guess it's out of our hands."

I nodded in agreement, still feeling a little oogy about Mike and wary of Tanya but I realized there wasn't much I could do.

Mike came back briefly that evening. Other than that quick glimpse, I never saw him again. It seemed that Dr. Molina put Tanya on paid suspension pending the investigation of her behavior with Lauren Mallory. The handwriting was on the wall, though. Tanya was probably going to have her teaching credentials pulled. So, Tanya, always looking for an out, convinced Mike to take her with him to Washington and he did. It was crazy but things were finally settling down.

The next morning, Charlie left. Before going, he took me aside and we had a heart to heart – or, about as much of a heart to heart two extremely private, emotionally stunted people can have. I was too much like Charlie. I always had so much to say but never the right words to say it.

"Well kid, I need to get back to Forks," Charlie said.

"Thanks for coming down here, Dad. It meant a lot to me."

He coughed and shuffled his feet a bit, then said, "You're in good hands here. Edward's alright."

That was high praise coming from my dad, the highest. "He's alright?"

"Yeah. He'll take good care of you."

"And I'll take good care of him." I wanted my dad to realize that it was a two way street between me and Edward.

"Hmmmph. Bella, you ever need anything, you call me, you understand?" He stared directly into my eyes as he said that. I knew it was his way of telling me he loved me and always would.

"Yes, Dad. I promise." That was my way of telling him the same thing back.

He nodded and we hugged clumsily. I stood and watched him back out of the drive-way and waved as he drove down the street. I felt a little forlorn. My dad had always been my rock and now that was changing. I knew it. He felt it. Our relationship was different. It made me a little melancholy but I was still on the whole, happy.

Suddenly, Edward's arms were about my waist. He pulled me back against him and whispered in my ear, "I love you, Miss Meteor."

I grinned, "Mr. Cullen, you pulled off the impossible."

"I did?"

I turned to face him. "Yes, sir. My dad just told me you were 'alright.' That's high praise indeed. The highest I've ever heard from him concerning a guy."

Edward laughed, "Your dad is pretty alright, too."

"Was it hard working with him?"

"No. We actually did pretty well. We didn't talk much but Charlie Swan has the ability to make himself understood without using many words."

"Oh, what did he say to you?" I was a little leery of just what that might have been.

"He basically let me know that if I ever caused you a moment's unhappiness, he'd have no choice but to kill me. He explained that he knew how to do it and get away with it."

"Oh, Edward! My dad is nuts."

"No, Bella. He loves you. But, don't worry. I made myself understood, too."

"You did? What did you tell him?"

"I told him that you were everything to me…" he paused a bit and then added, his green eyes shining, "… and that one day I hoped to marry you."

My heart stopped beating for a moment. Then it started again, double time. "Marry you?" I shakily repeated.

"Don't panic, my love. Not today, but one day," he pulled me close, "- and my Miss Meteor, it will be amazing."


	24. Chapter 24 Epilogue

Chapter 24: Epilogue

_Five years later, Parma, Florida, High 97F Low 78F, Barometric Pressure 31.2 inHG._

The sun was warm on my face as I leaned back in the empty stands, stretching my legs out in front of me. The sounds of the occasional whistle and merry shouts of boys as they kicked a ball around on the field were calming and had really become the measure of the passing of time in our lives. It was either soccer season or getting ready for soccer season in our home.

I opened my eyes to watch my Mr. Amazing, Edward Cullen, playing a quick scrimmage with the team's prospects. It wasn't lost on me that we were mirroring the first day that we met. I smiled remembering it. If it wasn't love at first sight, it was certainly lust. Watching a shirtless Edward run around the field, not much has changed. He still was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen.

As though he could hear my thoughts, he looked at where I was sitting, smiled and waved. We had agreed to meet here after I was done with an appointment I had earlier. I smiled and waved back. The love I had for this man filled my heart to the point it felt as though it could burst right through my chest.

I studied Edward as he played with his team and smiled tenderly. A lot had happened in the five years since that sunny July day we met but we made it. Together.

He held up five fingers to let me know how many minutes left until he was finished and I nodded. I was content to wait, watch and remember. I knew some of the kids who were trying out on the team this year. One of them was Lauren Mallory's younger brother. I was a little hesitant when I heard Sam Mallory was coming to our school but he turned out to be a different kettle of fish from his sister. Where she was spoiled rotten, he had an easy going nature and was very mature for his age. He may have learned through watching his sister's blunders.

Lauren withdrew from Parma High shortly after Hurricane James. It seemed that her peer group didn't take too kindly to her antics the day of the hurricane and how she ruined the teaching career of one favorite staff member and tried to ruin another's. Whatever I had thought about Tanya Whitehorse, her students loved her and when she left because of the accusations Lauren and her family made, it caused an ugly reaction among Lauren's peers. She was totally ostracized.

No one spoke to her, sat with her, or dealt with her unless they had to. Not being able to handle that, soon news came that Lauren was being sent to a boarding school on the east coast. We never heard from her again.

Can I admit, I felt that was a blessing?

Our first year together was a roller coaster and if we hadn't loved each other so much, we probably wouldn't have lasted. Edward's more relaxed housekeeping habits tended to war with my obsessive Ms Clean tendencies and it took a lot of negotiation and discussion to navigate those waters. Finally, I realized when I was getting ready to end our relationship simply because he left his wet bath towel on our bed, that I needed to loosen up a bit. I understood his unthinking sloppiness was infuriating to me but to leave him because of it? I couldn't dream of living without him.

But I also made him sleep on the damp side of the bed that night.

It was also a shock to me to learn that I did snore. Edward even taped me a few times before I would believe him. Now, that was embarrassing. After a visit a doctor, I learned that I had enlarged tonsils and I actually needed surgery to have them removed. The anesthesia they used made me really loopy and I couldn't see Edward without telling him how much I loved him and how much I adored his cock. I think I even described it to him in a spontaneous poem – _A Poem to Edward's Peen._ This was fine but certainly not something one recited to one's boyfriend in front of one's father.

Edward got over it, eventually, though I don't think Charlie ever did.

Fortunately when I got out of the operating room, my mouth was so stuffed with cotton, I couldn't be understood. Who knows what I would have said at that point? Probably orations about Edward's beautiful O-face.

I decided that Poncho had multi-personality disorder and there was no telling when he'd treat me like I was his own personal brand of heroin or that I was just a steaming pile of something he'd scrape off his paw. I just rolled with it. The antics of that dog were comical.

My first year as a teacher was challenging, especially with all the extra coursework I had to do but Edward helped me every way he knew. In a year and a half, I had all the endorsements I needed to be a fully fledged certified English teacher in Florida. Then in a fit of madness, I decided to go to grad school part-time for my master's degree in English literature. I don't know what I was smoking at the time but I promise, Renée and Phil were nowhere around.

I loved studying the coursework but it still meant late nights and a lot of struggles with time management.

On the day I received my diploma, Edward insisted I attend the graduation ceremony. He seemed particularly nervous but I could tell he was extremely proud of me. After the celebration, I ditched the mortar board and robes and we went to Mulligan's for dinner. I thought it was a coincidence when they sat us in the same booth they did when Edward took me on our first date but I later learned that Edward had requested it.

I will never forget what he said to me that night. We were watching the boats bob up and down in the harbor as the sunset cast purple shadows across the sky. We had finished our dinner and were cuddled together enjoying an after dinner glass of wine. The typical Jimmy Buffet music was playing softly in the back ground and I was feeling mellow and perfectly happy sitting here with the man I knew to be everything to me.

Edward nervously cleared his throat. "Bella, do you remember Hurricane James?"

I chuckled and said, "How could I forget? It was the first time we made love."

He smiled and nodded. "Do you remember how your family descended upon us after the storm blew through?"

"I was so happy you didn't take off running for your sanity after that, Edward. I wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

"I told you then and I'm telling you now, I will never leave you. I loved you and my feelings for you have done nothing but grow."

He had my undivided attention.

"Do you remember the discussion I had with your dad at the time before he left town?"

"The one about how he knew how to get away with killing you if you gave him a reason to?"

"Heh. Yeah, that's the one. Do you remember what I told him?"

Oh.

Oh. My heart started pounding.

Oh, yes. I remembered quite well. My smile was radiant.

I had been a little disappointed because after that day Edward never brought it up again. I was beginning to think he'd forgotten about it or decided he really didn't want to marry me. I should've known better.

All I could say, in a very quiet voice but with my heart in my eyes was, "Yes."

"Bella, this is something I've wanted since almost the first day we met. Will you marry me?"

I flung my arms around his neck and gave him my answer with my kiss.

"When?" he asked when we parted.

"Soon," I answered. "I'd thought you changed your mind about it."

"Never." He took my hands again, "I've always wanted to marry you. I was waiting until you were finished with all your extra obligations. I originally planned to ask you when your endorsement coursework was over but when that happened, you immediately told me you were going to go on for your Master's. In fact, I spent the last year and a half trying to figure out where to hide this so you wouldn't find it."

I felt him slip a ring on my finger as we held hands under the table and I gasped as I pulled it out to see the glittering diamond that fit perfectly on my left hand.

"Edward, it's beautiful but you didn't have to wait."

However, later I was glad he did. We wanted a small church wedding but it seemed everyone wanted to be there for us. I don't know what I would've done without the help of Esme, Edward's mother, and my mom, Renée. Esme was used to throwing big parties and Renée had a special gift for personalizing the event. Our wedding was perfect.

I'll never forget the look on Edward's face as he saw me standing the foot of the aisle on Charlie's arm as the strains of Beethoven's "Joyful, Joyful We Adore, Thee" played. When I finally reached him at the altar, he took both of my hands and gazed at me, as though he thought I was the most beautiful woman in the world and he was the luckiest man.

And Edward in a tux? I needed to do multiplication tables in my head to keep from humping him right there in front of God and everyone. I managed to contain myself. But later that night was a different story. I didn't think he minded when I attacked him the minute the door to our honeymoon suite was closed.

I don't know who cried the most that day, mom, Esme, Eleanor or, surprisingly, Charlie.

My in-laws were pretty wonderful people. It just goes to figure; they had a pretty wonderful son. I met them when we flew to Chicago for Thanksgiving the first year that Edward and I met. They welcomed me with open arms and treated me like the daughter they never had.

That weekend was eventful because there was a reunion of some kind at his old high school that we attended. Irina was there. You know, I really didn't like meeting a former flame of Edward's face to face, especially that former flame. After experiencing immediate loathing for her, I couldn't understand Edward's equanimity after James when Mike showed up at my door. He's a better person than I was, that's for sure.

Irina was gushingly happy to see Edward, which was surprising after the way they parted, and she completely ignored the fact that I was on his arm but Edward took care of that. When he could get in a word edgewise, he said, "Irina, I want to introduce you to the love of my life, Isabella Swan." The look on her face was priceless. Later that night I made sure to pleasure him so well, he nearly passed out.

We lived for a few years in our little love nest behind Eleanor's house and she became like family to us. One day, about two months after Edward and I married, I came home from work to find Groucho -I had renamed him- sitting on our front porch. He never had done that before. The minute I got out of my truck, he ran over to me and jumped on my leg, crying.

Then he ran towards Eleanor's house, then back to me to make sure I'd follow.

Knowing something was wrong, I opened her back door and found my doughty little landlady lying unmoving on the floor of her kitchen.

Calling her name, I knelt next to her and felt for her pulse. There was none. Quickly, I jumped up to call 911 before starting CPR. In a few minutes the rescue squad was there, but I already knew the truth. Eleanor had not responded. She had gone to be with her Herbert.

After the ambulance left, I gently picked Poncho up and cuddled him under my chin trying to comfort him. He cried and burrowed into my neck, seeking what consolation he could. We looked after little Gr—Poncho and he took immediate residence on the papasan chair as he had done before. He  
didn't move from that chair for three whole days after Eleanor died except to do his dog business. I suppose that is how dogs grieve, poor little thing.

Edward and I grieved, too. We had grown very close to Eleanor over the years and I just couldn't imagine living there without her cheery personality to bolster us. But really, I wasn't too sure we could live there much longer anyway. When Eleanor's heir showed up, we'd probably have to move.

The medical examiner said Eleanor died from a massive heart attack. She was probably dead before she hit the ground. I could've been squicked out that I had my hands on a dead person but because she had been my friend, it didn't bother me.

The day after she died, Eleanor's sister, Shirley, arrived. I'd never met her before but she was very much like her sister, bubbly and vibrant. She was the executor of Eleanor's will and I went with her to the funeral home to make arrangements.

Shirley claimed that Eleanor wanted to keep everything simple, so with minimal fuss, Eleanor was buried next to her husband.

Shirley hired some movers and the next day we helped her pack up the house so she could move Eleanor's things back over to her Miami home. I wondered if she had room for all of it. I have to admit, I did encourage Shirley to pack up Eleanor's yard menagerie, along with the furniture.

Just as we had packed the last box, I decided to ask what she was planning to do with Eleanor's house.

"Why nothing, Bella. I just was going to empty it out, like Eleanor wanted. The rest is up to you and Edward."

"Up to us? Do you want us to continue living in the cottage?"

"Hon, whatever you want to do you can do. It's yours to do with what you wish."

"Ours? !" I know my eyes bugged out.

"Yep. Eleanor left you and Edward the houses and the property it stands on. She just left me her stuff. She knew it wasn't your style anyway."

I had to sit down and I repeated in a weak voice, "Eleanor left Edward and me her home?"

"Of course she did. Didn't you know?"

"No. We had no idea."

"She loved you two like you were her own kids. I know she enjoyed the idea that you'd be raising your own family here one day. Oh, and she made sure I left you the hurricane goody box and Herbert's notebook so you'd be ready for the next storm."

Sitting in the stands and remembering that little dynamo that was Eleanor Cope brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes. She'd be so happy to see us living and loving in her house.

We were able to use the money we had been saving to buy our own house to modernize Eleanor's. It was then I learned my husband was quite handy with carpentry tools. He explained he had worked on a construction crew during the summers while he was in college and he rather enjoyed working with his hands.

We knocked down a few walls and updated the kitchen and baths. The hardwood floors that had been hidden under old wall to wall shag carpets were beautiful. It was a surprise to see how large the rooms were without a bunch of furniture in them.

Honestly, it was quite a beautiful place.

We decided to keep the exterior pink and blue colors Eleanor had picked out after Hurricane James.

They'd faded quite a bit and now with all the palms and philodendron around them, they just had a tropical feel. The vegetation had returned since Hurricane James and I was able to convince Eleanor, while she was alive, to let it run a little wild. We had our own tropical oasis on the top of Indian Hill.

I called the little old Chihuahua Poncho when he was good and Groucho when he decided I was an alien. He never quite got over losing Eleanor but he seemed to be content enough. He was the king of his domain, that's for sure. Edward and I were merely his serfs.

Emmett and Rosalie had gotten married just as they planned and traveled around for a few years with the Army but after his commitment was over, Emmett decided to get out. Rosalie was hired back at Parma High and Emmett was admitted to law school at a nearby University. They were renting our former "love nest" for a few years until they could get their feet under them. It was very nice having them next door.

After my first year of teaching, Diane Masen was no longer my mentor but she was always my friend. Her daughter, Alice, had graduated from Parma the year before and no one was surprised when she followed Jasper to the University he was attending. Those two, to quote Eleanor, seemed MFEO.

Before Edward and I got married, I converted and eventually we decided to give Natural Family Planning a try, realizing that if it failed we would be happy with that result as well as if it didn't.  
I was surprised to discover how fast it failed. After a little over a month, I almost passed out in my classroom. Fortunately, I was on my planning period and so didn't have to contend with a room full of ninth graders staring at me while I stuck my head between my knees.

Diane happened to be walking past my room, saw me and immediately rushed to my side. "Bella, are you okay?"

"I feel faint," I said, uhm, faintly.

"Did you eat breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Are you nauseous?"

"Now that you mention it…" I swallowed trying to get the better of it.

"Are you on your period?"

"No."

"Are you late?"

"I have no idea," I sat up and looked at her. "It's way too early for us to be pregnant."

"Hunh. Have you been doing it?" She waggled her eyebrows to make sure I knew what it meant.

I just gave her a look. We did it all the time. That hadn't changed a bit in the years we'd been together.

She smirked at me, "Your boobs hurt?"

I put a hand to one of my breasts and was surprised at its soreness. "Geesh," I said in wonder.

"Here smell this." She wafted the coffee cup she was carrying in front of my face and I just about puked on her.

"GET IT AWAY!" Hand clasped over my nose and mouth, I swallowed again.

Diane actually cackled and started chanting in a sing song voice, "Bella's pregnant. Bella's pregnant."

"Hush, Diane. Someone will hear you!"

Diane lowered her voice, "Stop by a drug store on your way home and buy a test. Surprise Edward tonight!"

Yeah, he'd be surprised alright. And probably delighted. But really, it could be a case of the flu.

I did as Diane suggested but knowing better to buy a pregnancy test kit in a local store -if I did that, it would be all over Parma that I was pregnant before Edward even got home from school - I drove up to the next town to buy one there.

When I got home, I took the test and was very shocked to see that Edward had been right all those years ago. NFP wasn't very effective at all. Or, Edward had super fantastic and long lived swimmers.

He stayed late at school, so I had time to prepare a good meal. I fixed a steak dinner, made a key lime pie – with fresh key limes that grew in our yard – and then got ready for ambushing my dear, sweet, lovely Mr. Amazing.

Edward was pleased to find a cozy meal set up for us when he got home. We had a delightful dinner and decided to sit out in the swing on the front porch and enjoy the evening. The frogs were beginning to croak and I snuggled into my husband's side.

I had done some mental math with the calendar earlier and so I asked, "Edward, do you know what we will be doing next August?"

"It'll still be preseason conditioning. And I suppose we'll be preparing for the next school year."

I nodded, "I think I'll be preparing for something a little different myself."

Edward looked at me in confusion, "Don't you plan to return to Parma next year?" Which I thought was a pretty stupid question because we never made decisions of that importance without a lot of discussion beforehand.

"Maybe I won't be able to," I smiled.

He was still confused, "Why not?"

I reached into my shorts pocket and pulled out the pregnancy test stick and handed it to him. "Do you know what that is?"

He looked down and read the word that left nothing to guessing. "Pregnant? Bella, are we pregnant?"  
I smiled, "I think we ought to write a letter to the Bishop complaining about the inefficacy of NFP."

"We're pregnant?"

"Yes. We are."

"WOW!" He leaped off the swing and pulled me into his arms and kissed me. We celebrated that night in many amazing ways.

And so, here we were the following July at conditioning practice with me in the stands drooling over that amazing looking man of mine on the field, just as I did five years earlier.

Edward blew his whistle, sent the guys off and walked over to the foot of the stands, mopping his chest with his t-shirt. I knew he was teasing me. He saw me ogling him and he know I was thinking all sorts of randy thoughts. I wish I could blame it on pregnancy hormones but I couldn't. He had always done that to me.

He paused at the bottom of the steps and said, "How are you, My Mrs. Meteor?"

I stood up and smiled, trying to be nonchalant as I clumsily maneuvered my awkward shape down the stairs. I couldn't see my feet anymore thanks to this monster baby boy I was carrying. "We're doing fine, Mr. Amazing…"but before I could tell him exactly how fine, my foot slipped and I began to fall.

It was like déjà vu all over again. Edward's strong, protective arms caught me to his chest and he looked down into my eyes and my breath caught at what I saw; love, awe, amazement.

"This is just like it was on that first day," he whispered.

"Yes, it is."

"Did you know, Bella, on that day I had an almost overwhelming desire to kiss you. It was hard to resist."

"I wonder what would have happened had you kissed me then."

"Before or after you called the police?" He was smiling.

"I wouldn't have done that."

Edward just gave me a wise look.

"Well, I probably would've enjoyed the kiss immensely during but then ran far away after but … I would have dreamed about it at night." I grinned mischievously at him.

"I don't worry about you running away now, Mrs. Meteor…"

"Edward, you never did tell me. Where is Miss/Mrs. Meteor from?"

He looked sheepish, "You will laugh but that quote fit us so perfectly, I couldn't ignore it."

"So? What's it from?"

"New Moon, one of the Twilight books."

I giggled. "You've been quoting a vampire to me?"

"He wasn't just a vampire. He was also a man describing the love of his existence. He knew she was from almost the very beginning, just as I did about you. I have a lot in common with him. I don't sparkle, though. "

I laughed. "You're such a goof - a sweet goof. I love you so much."

He caressed my bulging belly tenderly as his other arm held me close and began to quote,

_"Before you, my life was like a moonless night. It was very dark, but there were stars - points of light and reason...And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty._

_"When … the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore."_

And then, Edward Cullen, my loving, wonderful, and amazing husband kissed me - and I couldn't see the stars anymore, either.

**AN**  
**Well, my friends, that's that. The End. Fini. Done.**

**I have a couple of out takes that I wrote for a fandom fundraiser and then about ten chapters of a small sequel to post.**

**Thanks old and new readers alike. Revisiting Parma High was a lot of fun for me. I hope you enjoyed reading it.**

**Thank you very much for reading Parma High and I appreciate all the kind words you left for me. Thanks very much to my friend Kris for her kindness concerning my crazy. Again, any mistakes you see here are mine.**

**Key Lime Pie Recipe (If you think key lime pie is green, you've never had Key Lime Pie.)**  
**1/2 cup Key Lime Juice**  
**2 egg yolks**  
**1 can sweetened condensed milk**  
**1 graham cracker crust**  
**1 container of Cool Whip (So, I cheat.)**  
**Combine first three ingredients together, pour into crust, freeze, top with cool whip. Serve after setting at room**  
**temperature for 30 minutes.**  
**Easiest and best pie evah!**


	25. Chapter 25 EPOV for Fandom fundraier

Fandom for the Floods Outtake EPOV  
Outtake.

"Heads up, Jasper!"

Jasper reacted just in time and headed the ball over to his team mate. He immediately turned and looked back at the bleachers where something had caught his attention. I followed his gaze and, damn, if the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen was climbing into the stands.

I watched as she stretched out her long legs and leaned back to let the sun fall full on her face. She was beautiful. Long mahogany hair pulled back in a pony tail, slender, shapely arms and legs and a willowy, womanly figure, a heart shaped face, and full, luscious lips.

I stared until I realized that I was staring, and so roused myself to blow my whistle and call out, "Alright guys, one lap around the track, then it's time to go home." Best to rouse myself before I became aroused. I smiled grimly wondering if hanging around adolescents was finally rubbing off on me. My body was responding as though I'd never seen a pretty woman before.

We started to run around the track and I realized I was feeling pretty pleased. I had a good group of kids vying for the soccer team this year and I was anticipating a great season coming. I knew that, at least in high school, most soccer games were decided by which team didn't run out of steam during the last half of the match, so I developed a conditioning program for my players. We started it when school let out in June and I planned to continue it until the Soccer season began in November. Per the High School league authorities, we couldn't have official practices until just before the season starts. Every good coach knew how to get around that - we could train and condition all we wanted, whenever we wanted - and I was a good coach.

There were the usual jokes and jibes among the players as we ran around the track. I heard Jasper say to Jon, our goalie, "Check out the girl in the stands."

Jon looked and whistled, "She's pretty hot. Who is she?"

"I don't know but I've got dibs," Jasper said.

I snorted to myself. I could tell she wasn't a girl - she was a woman - and if anyone had dibs, I did. When we got around the field, the sweat was pouring off of me and I realized my towel was in the gym bag that I'd left in my car, so I simply pulled off my t-shirt and mopped at my face and chest. The air felt good on my skin.

I could tell Jasper was gearing up to approach the woman in the stands, so I said, "Jasper, go gather those balls and put them in the bags. Get the rest of the guys to help you. When you're done, put them up in the equipment room, okay?"

"Yes, sir," Jasper looked a little disappointed but he was a good kid and so he did what I asked.

"Thanks, Jasper. I'll see you tomorrow." I shouldn't have felt so cocky that I threw a teenager off his game, but I did.

I strolled over to the woman but the only thing I could think of to say was, "Can I help you?" Lame. So lame. I sounded like I was working at McDonald's.

But I had a reason to sound so stupid. She was even more beautiful up close than she appeared from a distance and I felt my mouth go dry. She stood and walked over to the railings, "Uhm…perhaps? Do you know if the school office will be open tomorrow?"

I smiled at her. She wanted the front office, did she? She was too old to be a student and too young to be a student's parent, so that meant she was probably a new teacher. Hot damn! I could feel my heart rate speed up in excitement.

"There's usually someone there after eight but in the summer they leave around two or so. Whom did you want to see?" She seemed a little stunned for some reason but I chalked that up to the heat.

"The principal or his secretary?"

"They both should be there, I think. You could call first to see. Do you have the direct line? They usually don't pick up the main one in the summer."

"No, I don't."

Taking advantage of my opportunity, I suggested, "I'll give it to you. I have it in my car." I waved my hand in the direction of the parking lot.

She nodded and started to walk down the stairs but before she descended three steps, she tripped and started to fall face first onto the gravel walkway. My reaction was automatic; I didn't even think. I reached up, caught her in my arms and pulled her against my chest. I was a little embarrassed that she had to feel my sweaty skin and was about to hold her away from me when she looked up into my eyes and the world stopped turning. My focus zeroed in on her and it was if all sounds ceased, all motion stopped, and all I could feel was my heart beat hammering at my ribs and this delightful woman in my arms.

I gazed deeply into her brown eyes and in that moment I knew - she was my destiny.

* * *

She never called me. I'd given her my phone number as well as the front office's but she never called. I kicked myself everyday for not asking for her name or her number. Why had I been so dense? At first, I was sure she felt the same as I did when I held her but the longer time passed, the more I doubted it. I spent the next few weeks haunting Parma, looking for new faces but of course, I never saw her again until one day while I was at conditioning, there she was riding a bicycle along the road. I now can tell you how it feels to have your heart leap in your chest. Mine did.

She saw me and started peddling faster which was very discouraging but I couldn't let her go.

"Wait! Miss Meteor! Wait!" She slowed to a stop as I ran to the fence that separated the field from the road. I didn't realize that I'd run towards her or even called her that name. I'd been thinking of her as Miss Meteor ever since the day she crashed into me.

High School English teacher that I am, I make an effort to read the books I see my students reading. Yes, that means I am probably one of the few men my age who have read the Twilight Saga. I hate to admit that there was something about the story that drew me in. I suppose I am a romantic teen age girl at heart but I'd never admit it to anyone. Emmett would gleefully confiscate my man-card if he knew.

There was something about this woman on the bike that immediately reminded me of a quote from the second book in the series. I knew exactly what the Emopire* meant when he said, "And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty." I guess that meant I was an Emopire, too, except without the sparkly bits.

I was definitely going to have to forfeit my man-card but I manned up anyway and smiled down at her.  
"You didn't call me." I tried not to sound like a whiney little bitch but I wasn't sure I pulled it off.  
"Er, no. I didn't find I had a reason to."

She was blushing. I must be embarrassing her. Maybe I was coming across as a creep. I needed to fix this.  
"You must've thought I'd ulterior motives in mind."

Then, she looked up at me. Once more our eyes met and once more the world stopped. It felt as though I were falling into the dark depths of her eyes. She hit me hard in ways I never knew existed.

Her voice was soft when she said, "No... Yes... I mean, I thought you were just being nice to the new girl and I didn't want to impose."

My eyes felt like they were lasers boring into hers. I wanted her to know exactly how I felt. "Miss Meteor, it's no imposition. I promise."

It was a good thing a soccer ball bounced over and hit me in the back because that woke me up a little from the spell she was weaving around me. I was about ten seconds from making a colossal fool out of myself.

I turned to the see Jasper, who had his hands up in apology with a bratty grin on his face. Evidently, he was trying to spoil my game. "Hey! How about a little warning before you go pegging people?" I shouted in mock anger.

He laughed. What a wise-ass.

"Sorry, coach, it got loose." Yeah, sure.

"Are you going to ref this scrimmage?" he continued. Geesh.

"I'll be right there," I answered. The kid was bound and determined to separate me from Miss Meteor. I think he just earned ten extra laps.

But, really, I did need to get back to the guys but I wasn't going to let Miss Meteor get completely away from me this time.

"I don't believe I know your name." I smiled my most charming smile.

I did notice she gasped a bit before responding, "I am Isabella Swan but most people call me Bella."  
Shit.

She's the new English teacher.

I knew there was going to be an Isabella Swan new to my department this year but I thought someone with a name like Isabella must be about forty years old. I expected Miss Meteor's name to be something like Jessica or Ashley. I didn't dream she'd be working so closely with me. After the shit I had to deal with at work when Tanya and I broke up, I promised myself never to date someone in my department again. I think the angels must be laughing at me.

I swallowed my disappointment and said, "Pleased to meet you then, Miss Isabella Swan. I'll be seeing you around."

I waved at her and jogged back onto the field. What was I going to do?

* * *

"Damn!" I slapped my hands on the steering wheel in frustration and stared out of the windshield as the wipers fruitlessly tried to clear the rain out of the way. I wasn't frustrated with the downpour. I was frustrated over what happened at our department meeting today. I saw the look on Bella's face. Her expression was equal parts shock, dismay and anger. I bet you Dr. Molina pulled the same shit on her as he did on me when I came to Parma. He didn't tell her up front about the extra endorsements Florida required for their English teachers. What an asshole. He later told me it's what he had to do in order to get quality teachers from out of state. He knew that if they discovered all the crap they had to go through to get certified down here, they'd never come. And I always thought bait and switch practices were illegal. Maybe it was in stores but, evidently, not in education.

I remember feeling overwhelmed and screwed when I found out after I was hired. I know Bella now feels the same way and I just couldn't let her get down. I had promised myself purely a professional relationship with her but… I just couldn't stay away from her anymore. Not when she was unhappy. Not when I could help.

I made up my mind quickly. I pulled over to the side of the road and phoned in a pizza order. Pizza always made things better, in my opinion. I ran home to grab my old notes, taking a quick shower and telling Rosalie I'd be back later. I picked up a six pack of beer on my way to get the pizza and then headed for Miss Meteor's home. I hoped she wouldn't mind me dropping in.

She was there at the door when I got there. "I hope you don't mind me coming by unannounced but I don't know your number and I wanted to talk to you about the meeting. I came bearing gifts." I added a mental thought,_ Please don't think I am a creep like that idiot Jake Black for showing up here like this._ I saw how he was looking at her last week. She didn't need to have to deal with that shit or that creep.

She didn't appear to mind. "Well, since you brought pizza…"

I was so relieved she welcomed me, I grinned. It felt right to be with her for some reason. I wanted more than anything to pull her to me and kiss her but – okay, that would be something that creep Jake would do. I was as bad as he was, it seemed.

I got rid of my wet hoodie, back pack, and sat the pizza and beer on the table. I said, "Your place looks nice, Bella. That old futon never looked so good in my apartment."

She smiled as she looked at the futon, then back at me, "Thanks. Let me get out the plates."

I popped off the caps on two beers, "You want one?"

"Sure could use one. Thanks."

I knew she had had a rough day, so I flipped the pizza box lid open and let the pizza therapy commence. I truly believe in the healing power of the pie.

"Giuseppe's makes the best pizza I have ever had and you need to remember, I am from Chicago, so that's saying a lot." I had ordered my favorite toppings and I hoped she'd agree with them."Dig in,"

She reached for a slice just as I did. Our hands accidentally touched and suddenly my hunger was centered a little lower than my belly. I pulled my hand away and staring at her, I said, "I promise, you'll like it." I hope she didn't think I was some sort of pervert.

She grabbed a piece of pizza and took a bite. Her eyes rolled back in her head and I said, "Good, huh?"

"This—this is ambrosia!" Food for the gods – trust an English teacher to use a literary reference when overcome by sensation. Sounded exactly like something I would say.

I chuckled and then happily began eating and couldn't resist moaning myself at that first delicious bite. She started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Listening to us, you'd think we were having sex rather than eating pizza."

That was so close to what I had been fantasizing about, that I choked hearing her say it. She laughed at my expression and so I decided to fight fire with fire. I looked directly into her eyes, took a bite of my slice, and moaned as suggestively as I could manage. She blinked once, gathered her breath and then a mischievous spark lit her eye as she started doing her best Meg Ryan impersonation. She finished it off by taking another bite and then licking her lips.

Crap. Instant hard on. What was she doing to me? I tried to swallow the sip of beer I had just taken and ended up coughing like a maniac and gasping for breath.

"Oh, I am sorry Edward, did I startle you?" She jumped out of her chair to pound me on the back. I slid close to the table so she couldn't see my insta-rection.

"S…s…something like that. We'd better concentrate on our dinner or it's likely that you're going to be the death of me." I meant that.

We spent the rest of our meal chatting amiably about whatever came to mind. We had a small disagreement over who got to keep the left over pizza. I had a feeling that her grocery situation wasn't good and she was going to have to stretch things out until pay day, so I am afraid I won that argument. I learned she had a quirky sense of humor and loved quoting old movies. The more we talked the more I realized how attracted I was to her, not just physically but mentally, too.

The sun had finally set and Bella turned on the lamps she had in the room. It made things cozier. We sat together on the futon, drinking beer and talked about her endorsement classes. I gave her my old notes to use and explained I had to go through the same thing. I offered to help her as much as I could. She seemed less stressed about the situation as we talked. It felt good to see her smile.

While I watched her, she absent-mindedly reached up and pulled the elastic out of her hair causing her thick, dark hair to cascade down around her shoulders and back. I was struck through by her loveliness. I let out a shaky breath and said in a low voice, "Remember, Miss Meteor, it is my job to be of service to you."

I drained my bottle of beer, needing its fortitude. Just then Eric Clapton started playing on her iPod dock. I had to smile. _Unplugged _was very familiar to me.

"Clapton is one of my favorites."

"Mine, too," she said. We started talking about music then and I was happy to discover we had similar tastes with some interesting differences. After a while, though, I noticed she seemed to be distracted. She was watching me closely; her eyes wide and her mouth open just a bit. Sometimes she'd pull her bottom lip in with her top teeth. I was finding the need to kiss her becoming overwhelming.

I finished my beer and felt a drop of the beverage hang on my lip, so I stuck the tip of my tongue out to catch it. I was surprised to hear her gasp and say in a needy voice, "Ohhhh, Edward."

I held my breath, not sure if I was hearing her right. Did she actually desire me as much as I did her? I stared at her lips and leaned closer, hypnotized by their lusciousness. I put my arm along the back of the futon and gently touched her lips with mine for a moment. I stopped, trying to gauge if this was something she wanted.  
Apparently it was because suddenly we were kissing, arms wrapped around each other, touching, stroking, and caressing. I felt as though every cell in my body was on fire for her. The sensations were overwhelming and I wanted her. I wanted her in every way I could have her. I wanted to feel her bare body against mine. I wanted to kiss every inch of her. I wanted to bury myself in her. My tongue teased her lips and when she parted them, I deepened my kiss, trying to inhale her.

Finally, breathing became imperative and I moved to her neck, nibbled her ear and traced down to her shoulder. I pulled her onto my lap, so that she straddled me and held her hips close to my now prominent boner. Bella was winding her fingers through my hair as she rocked against me. I was lost to sensation… I was lost… I was going to…

RAH, RAH, AH, AH, AH, ROMA, ROMA, MA, GAGA, OOH, LA, LA, WANT YOUR BAD ROMANCE.

Lady Gaga scared the shit out of me until I realized that it was Bella's ring tone. I growled, "You'd better get that."

She reached over to pick it up. When she saw who it was, she scrambled off my lap like she was scalded.

It was her dad calling because he was concerned about a tropical storm threatening Parma. By the time she got off the phone with him, I had settled down and it gave me a chance to think.

I had been so wrapped up in my feelings and her arms and legs and kisses and ass that, at that moment, I had been willing to go as far as we could. I wouldn't have wanted to stop. I don't think I could have easily.

But I wouldn't do that to her.

Or myself.

* * *

At the end of the first day of school, I ran up the stairs intent on finding Bella before she left for the day. My coaches meeting went long and I was late. I was hoping we could spend some time together tonight, maybe take her to dinner.

"Edward. Where have you been?"

I sighed, not wanting to be held up by the owner of that voice but I stopped politely and said, "Mostly in my classroom, Ms Whitehorse. Did you need something?"

"Oh, Edward," she lowered her voice, finally aware of the few students still in the hallway. "That's a loaded question."

I didn't respond to that. There was no need.

Tanya took a few steps closer to me. Instinctively, I backed away.

"Ah, Edward, why haven't you called me?"

I smiled remembering when I asked Bella the same question. I hope I didn't sound as whiney as Tanya did now. I decided to give Tanya the same response Bella gave me, "I didn't find a need to."

I looked down the hall towards Bella's room. I saw her standing outside her door talking to a student. My smile was involuntary. Just seeing her made me happy. Tanya must have noticed the reason for my expression and, ever the firebrand, she snapped, "Oh, I see how it is."

I had no idea what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"Little Miss Mosquito has been carrying tales, hasn't she?"

"What?" I guessed she was talking about Bella.

"She looks like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth but I bet she's been filling your ears with all sorts of complaints about me?"

Tanya was on a tear and I had no idea about what except that it concerned Bella. I just looked at her and said nothing, hoping she'd explain.

"She probably whined about my stuff she found in the cupboard. Hell, Edward, she broke into that cupboard! She's lucky all she found was some of my fun toys."

Her fun toys? What was she talking about? I arched my brows in question, silently urging her to go on. She was happy to comply.

"There were only a few things," Tanya leaned up to whisper, "A lacey black teddy, some high FMN heels." She giggled, "And some other supplies to go with them. You never got a chance to see them, you bad boy."

I coughed a little, "Strange to have those sorts of things in a school room cupboard, don't you think?"

"Edward, you're such the good little Catholic boy. I need to loosen you up a little."

Not in this life, Tanya. I decided to change the subject, "I hope your first day went pleasantly."

"Oh, it went okay. I saw your little Miss Mosquito first thing. Quite a fun start to the day but I am sure she ran and told you all about it."

"I haven't had a chance to talk to Ms Swan. What happened?"

"Oh, she came in to the teacher's work room this morning to put something in the refrigerator and I just thought I'd rib her a little about the love the mosquitoes have for her. She over-reacted and ran out. She's such a baby."

"Actually, Tanya, she hadn't said a thing about you to me. Knowing her as I do, I doubt she would. I think I like Ms Swan. In fact, I think I like her very much."

"Oh…" Tanya couldn't have looked more surprised if I had socked her in the face.

I turned and walked down the hall. Why was I wasting my time with Tanya when it was Bella I wanted to be with – and who knew? Maybe we'd be with each other forever.

* * *

**AN:**  
**I think I got "emopire" from Cleolinda's Twilight book reviews. I get it. I really do.**


	26. Chapter 26 Bella Gets Her Groove Back

**This is a future take to Parma High that I wrote in drabble-ish form a few years ago. I decided to publish it this time around all in one go. **

"Bella, I feel badly for leaving you and the kids alone for six weeks. I didn't realize this would be a requirement when I agreed to do the program."

I cupped my husband's cheek as he lay next to me on our bed. He was leaving tomorrow for Orlando. "It will be okay, Edward. School's out and you know that Anthony, Chuckie and I will be fine. We'll keep busy. We'll miss you but it can't be helped."

He pulled me up against him and traced his lips across my forehead as I snuggled close. "I know you'll be okay. I was more worried about me being so lonely for the three of you."

"We'll write and Skype and it will be almost like we're together. When you're finished, outside of your dissertation, you'll have your academic requirements completed for your Doctorate. Then you can apply for an administrative position with the school board. Just think, you'll be Doctor Edward Cullen, Principal. That's what you've wanted from the start."

I could feel his chest heave as he sighed. "Not sure it's worth it."

"It's so worth it, Edward. You're doing it for your family."

He kissed me again and said, "What would I ever do without you?"

"Your life would be much less chaotic, that's for sure. And you'd have no worries going off to UCF this summer."

"Perhaps, but my life would be lightless, Mrs. Meteor. This is going to seem to be the longest six weeks in history."

"It will go by in a snap, you'll see. But in the meanwhile, let's take advantage of the time we have together." I slipped my leg over his hip and pressed against him. Not being a slow man to rise to the occasion, soon he was showing me just what I was going to miss in the coming weeks. After a delicious and thoroughly fulfilling love making, I lay there holding my beautiful man in my arms as he fell into a relaxed slumber. I swallowed the knot that was in my throat. Though I talked a good talk, my heart was quaking. I missed him already.

I missed him even more when, the day after he left, I learned that an old acquaintance of ours was also attending the same summer doctorate program as my husband—the ex-chief skankwhore of Parma High and my husband's former girlfriend, Tanya Whitehorse.

I was fixin' to cut a bitch.

* * *

How I discovered that Tanya Skankhorse was in Orlando with Edward—well, not actually with Edward but in his vicinity— was a fluke, really.

After the boys and I waved Edward off on his way to Orlando, all I really wanted to do was throw myself across our bed and cry. We'd never been parted before since we met, to be honest. Shoot, he moved in with me not two weeks after we actually started working together. I know you'll think that I was the skankwhore here but really I wasn't. It was evident from the very beginning that Edward and I were just meant to be. Under normal circumstances, it would have taken us longer to get to where we got to but Hurricane James blew all of that out of the water, literally and figuratively. It seemed that when your world was pared down to the bare essentials—life, death; man, woman; love, love (because there's no hate in EdwardBellaville) it was simple. We never looked back and we never regretted a thing.

Edward Anthony Cullen was my everything—along with the two little men we created together.

Which brings me back to why I actually didn't dissolve in a big bawling puddle when Edward left. Emo is a luxury not afforded the mothers of active toddlers, not unless she had a nanny or the like and we didn't have the like. Not even close.

The past two years were the perfect storm of financial troubles for us. First, Charles Edward Cullen made his unexpected appearance just two years after his older brother, Anthony Carlisle. Originally, we wanted to space our children four years apart (that way we'd only be paying for college tuitions one at a time) but one wild weekend spent celebrating our sixth anniversary in the Keys knocked that plan out of the park. Chuckie was born in March and so I took the rest of the year off which reduced our income quite a bit.

But then we discovered two child seats wouldn't fit in my truck or Edward's car and so we needed a new vehicle. There went our short term savings. But we'd make it. It would be tight but we'd planned it out so well, we thought.

Famous last words.

That July, our air conditioner decided it had had a nice long life and it was time to die, so it did. Parma plus July plus no air conditioning equals misery and with an infant and a toddler to care for, we had no choice but to replace the thing. Four thousand dollars borrowed against our house saw us comfortable again but pulling our already tight belts even tighter.

We scrimped and saved and made it through that summer but found when I went back to work, the cost of child care almost ate up my income. We struggled on until the end of that school year when our guest house tenants decided to move out. That was another financial blow.

We needed more income but the only way to get more was for one of us to get into school administration, something Edward had always wanted to do. We decided he needed to move in that direction, and that mean a Doctorate Degree. There was a Doctoral program offered through the University of Central Florida that was designed to be convenient to teachers. It consisted of on-line work throughout the school year, then "compacted academics" on campus during the summer. At the time he signed up for it, we didn't realize that would mean Edward had to live in Orlando for six weeks.

Compacted Academics also meant sitting in class from eight to five, Monday through Friday, leaving the evenings and weekends for reading, projects, studying, and maybe sleep. In six weeks, Edward would take six classes, one a week. Because of the intensity of the program it was better for Edward to go to Orlando alone because we would be a distraction. Families were meant to be, after all. Even if we tried not to, we would cause him to lose his focus. It was cheaper for us to stay at home anyway since Edward's tuition, room and board were another expense in our already over- extended budget. The Bishop County school board would refund Edward his tuition expenses but only after he successfully completed his course work. We'd get nothing for his living expenses except the opportunity to advance careerwise.

It all sounded so easy and sensible in theory but in practice it was like someone had drilled a hole in my chest, taken out my heart and left me empty and aching. Fortunately, I didn't have time for that, either.

"Maamaaa," Chuckie wailed. Anthony had taken his binky.

"Anthony, why'd you do that?" I grabbed the pacifier out of my three year old's grubby mitt and gave it back to his brother.

"Dirty, Mama." Anthony's green eyes looked up at me, a miniature imitation of his fathers', and I remembered his dad saying something similar to me just that morning but in an entirely different context.

"Dirty? What do you mean?" It was then I saw Chuckie trying to shove the binky in Groucho's maw. Groucho, I mean Poncho, would have nothing to do with it and started baring his teeth at my young son.

"Chuckie, you need to leave the dog alone. He's going to bite you one day and then you'll be sorry."

"Doggie," Chuckie chortled waving at the disgruntled mutt as I carried my son inside and holding the door open for Anthony to follow. I decided to leave Poncho out on the shady porch where he took up residence on the cushioned glider.

He ruled the roost here on Indian Hill, always had, always would. He was now about twenty years old. I was beginning to doubt he'd ever die. He was too much of a control freak to do otherwise.

The boys and I spent a quiet day and about four p.m., we got ready to go to dinner. We'd been invited over to Diane's house and it was there I found out about Skankya.

"Bella," Diane said while she was tearing up lettuce for the salad, "Do you remember Tanya Whitehorse?"

"Ugh. Not willingly."

"Hah. She was a piece of work, wasn't she?"

I didn't answer just smirked and concentrated on peeling the cucumber Diane had given me.

"Well, anyway," she went on, "I ran into Tanya's mother at Publix this morning and she told me that Tanya had returned to Florida and was living in Orlando."

Something gripped my heart in a vise when I heard that. "Orlando, eh? What's she doing up there?"

"You know, from what Mrs. Whitehorse said, I think she's in the same program as Edward."

"What?" The vise on my heart changed locations and got a good grip on my gut.

"You ought to ask Edward about it when he calls." Diane knew there had been history between Edward and Tanya before my time. I guess she didn't want me to be blindsided by the situation.

I was able to mutter, "Damn straight I will" and we dropped the subject.

Edward had called me earlier in the day to let me know he'd arrived safely in Orlando and was checking into the student housing he was being allotted for the interim. We didn't have time to talk for long as he was trying to juggle his move and I was trying to juggle his kids. He said he'd Skype with me later on in the evening after I'd wrestled the kids into bed.

Miracle of miracles, it worked out that I had a few minutes until it was time for us to Skype. Both Anthony and Chuckie had been worn out by playing in Diane's pool and so were sound asleep in their nursery. I was skulking about in our bedroom. So, I decided to get dolled up for Edward when he called. I went into my lingerie drawer looking for something sexy and in the back I found that old bra and thong set I'd worn that evening long ago when Edward and I had taken a moonlit swim off of Parma Beach. I'll never forget the look on Edward's face when he saw me for the first time stripped down to just that lacy confection. Chuckling to myself, I pulled it out deciding to wear it again for him tonight. Maybe I'd see that look again.  
Damn. I didn't remember it being so hard to get on. Did it shrink in the wash? I knew my boobs had gotten a little bigger, I was nursing after all, but the bottoms shouldn't be so tight. I stood in front of the full length mirror in our bedroom and stared in horror at the sight in front of me.

I looked like the fucking Michelin man. The thong cut into my hips and the roll of fat that had seemed to blossom there without me realizing it. My boobs—well, talk about cups running over! And my stretch marks hadn't quite faded in the year since Charles was born. There was no way I was going to show this to Edward. I looked hideous. What had happened to me? Had I gained weight?

I dove into our closet and moved some shoeboxes around until I found that old bathroom scale we'd received for a wedding present (I mean, what the hell? Who gives someone a bathroom scale for a fucking wedding present?) but never really used. I pulled it out and set it on the floor. Taking a deep breath, I stepped on it and in disbelief watched the digital read out flash higher, higher, and higher until I just about passed out. THERE WAS NO FREAKING WAY I WEIGHED THAT MUCH. I felt like I could puke. How could Edward even stand me?

Just then I heard the irritating bop, bop, bing that signaled I had a call coming in on Skype. SHITOLY.

I grabbed the closest thing at hand, Edward's old DePaul sweatshirt, pulled it over my head and ran to answer the computer. There was my Edward looking intently into the computer screen. I swallowed and my heart flipped. God, I loved that man. I was determined to be the best I could be for him and I knew right now he didn't need to know I was wigging out over my excess baggage.

"Hey hon," he said. His smile lit me on the inside.

"Hi, sweetheart. You get all moved in?" I settled down on our bed and fluffed the pillows behind me.

"Pretty much. Just got in from buying some groceries."

"Yeah? What'd you get?"

"Just essentials."

"Oh. Beer and pretzels." I knew my hubby.

He laughed. "Well, yeah, but I got some bread and peanut butter, too. I figure that would last a bit. And sardines."

"Yuck."

"I guessed since we were apart, I could get away with it."

"Yeah. Good idea. You just keep eating those sardines. Your breath will keep the hoochies away from you."

He snorted. "Hoochies? You don't have to worry about any hoochies. Speaking of which…" he stopped for a minute and studied me as though gauging my mood. "Do you remember Tanya Whitehorse?"

"Yes." I wasn't going to offer commentary but I was glad that he mentioned her without me having to bring her up. That meant something, right?

"She's here."

"Really?" I was trying for nonchalant but, of course, Edward could see through that. He smiled.

"Yeah. She's working towards her doctorate as well."

"I thought she lost her teaching certificate?"

"Since she left town so suddenly after James hit, the school board didn't pursue it. She's teaching in a school in Seminole County."

"Oh. Did she remember you?" I knew she would, the skankawhorasaurus.

"Oh, yeah. We chatted a bit."

"What about?" I'm sure I sounded like I was getting ready to get all stabby.

Edward said, "I told her that my life was amazing. That it's been amazing since the day I met you. That I was head over heels in love with you, and that the best day of my life was the day we got married. That you were the most beautiful and sexiest woman I'd ever known, that we had two wonderful sons, and that, while I was excited to get my Doctorate, missing you was going to be hell for me and I was counting every second until we could be together again."

I know I sat there with my eyes bugged out like Bugs Bunny when he saw a carrot but then my better sense got the best of me.

"You did not!" I knew Edward wouldn't have been half as forthcoming as all of that. Geesh. What man talks that way?

He laughed and shook his head. "No, of course I didn't say any of that. We just said hello."

I was curiously disappointed but, really, only pussies would say shit like that.

He leaned in closer to the screen, his eyes intent on mine, "But that doesn't mean that it isn't true, Bella. You're My Mrs. Meteor."

* * *

The days plowed on and I poured myself into keeping busy because that was the only way I could deal with that constant ache in my chest that Edward's absence caused. We communicated everyway we knew how, phone calls, text messages, emails, Skype, even old fashioned letters. They were sweet but they weren't enough. I wanted him. I wanted him in my bed, I wanted him with our boys. I wanted him in my days. I wanted to touch, taste, smell, and feel him and I wanted him to touch, taste, smell and feel me. I was driving myself crazy.

So, I kept myself busy during the day so I'd sleep from exhaustion through the night.

I was trying to potty train Anthony. He was almost four, for goodness sake. It was time.

But it wasn't going well.

I tried pull ups and found he was an equal opportunity pee-er. He actually pulled them up to pee in them.

I tried multiple potties throughout the house. He wore them as hats.

I tried stickers. He shrugged.

I tried M&Ms. I ended up eating the damn things.

I was moaning to Diane over the phone about it and she said, "Honey, just wait until he asks."

"Asks?"

"Yes. As in, 'Mother, I have to go to the bathroom.'"

"He may be ten years old before that happens."

"No, honey. He'll want it soon enough. He's not ready right now. Don't force it or you'll make it something bigger than it is. I promise you, you won't have to trade in his _Pampers _for_ Depends."_

Diane had always been the voice of reason in my life, so I took her advice and quietly retired the potties, pull-ups and stickers for another day. Anthony didn't even notice.

So, that was the first summer project I failed at.

The second summer project was to stop channeling the Pillsbury Dough Boy. I figured that it'd be a nice surprise for Edward to come home to find the girl he first met, so I bought carrots and celery and diet coke.

Remember the M&M's? Yeah.

Second summer project that I failed at.

I was crying into my cottage cheese one day while on the phone with Diane and she said, "Forget about that. You're beautiful. You're a woman, now, not a girl."

"You're my friend, you're supposed to say that."

She tutted then asked, "Has Edward complained about how you look?"

"No. He's not said a thing."

"Does he still look at you like he could eat you up?"

"What? Look at me how?"

"Shoot Bella, I knew the first time I saw you two together when you first came to Parma that you'd knocked poor Edward off his feet. He couldn't take his eyes off you and always wore this goofy grin. Everyone remarked on it. Poor guy, he took a lot of ribbing then. He still does."

I was blushing and glad that Diane couldn't see but she had me gob-smacked. "He still does?"

"Yes, Bella." If her tone could roll its eyes, it would. "Do you remember when you were presenting the English Awards at the assembly last month?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I was sitting down the row from Edward. When you went up to make the presentation, I heard a couple of kids whisper when I turned to shush them I saw your Edward sitting there watching you. His eyes were glowing and the smile on  
his face…it was so sweet…and it was all for you, hon. That man sees nothing wrong with you."

I sighed. How did I get so lucky?

"So, Bella, who's going to do summer conditioning with the soccer team?" Well, that was from left field but I was used to Diane's scatter-brained conversations.

"Edward was going to have his assistant coach do it but Peter just emailed him that he had to go out of town for a family emergency and didn't know when he'd be back, so I guess no one."

"Why don't you do it?"

Whaaa? Now that was so far out of left field it came from the parking lot.

"No really, Bella. You know what Edward does during conditioning and the activity would be exactly what you need. It will help you sleep at night and the endorphins will make you feel better. Do it!"

"But what will I do with my boys?"

"Bring them by here. I'll watch them for you."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Sure you could. I love those little guys and you know that my hubby dotes on them. It will be perfect."

I paused and thought. I knew that Edward was fretting about his soccer team not staying fit with him not there to run summer conditioning. With Diane's help, this was a worry I could fix. I couldn't wait to tell him.

"Diane, you're the best. I'll do it!"

* * *

Edward's doctoral program required oceans of work. He had to constantly work on it or he'd figuratively drown. I could see what a toll it was taking on him when we'd Skype. He looked tired and frazzled. He even looked like he was losing weight. I almost suggested that we not have our computer date every night because it took an hour away from his studies each day but Edward said no. He told me that sometimes knowing he had our nightly session to look forward to was the only thing kept him going.

I tried to keep things upbeat and light during our chats because I didn't want him to worry and I knew that laughter sometimes was the best at beating loneliness. Sometimes, I'd keep the boys up so they could see and talk to their Daddy.

The first time, little Chuckie kept on trying to touch the computer screen to get to Edward and cried when he realized he couldn't cuddle up with him. That put some tears in Edward's eyes as well as mine, too. But we were making it. Three weeks had passed and there were only three weeks left. We were almost over the half-way mark.

I tried not to dwell too much about how much I missed Edward, so I filled my days and nights with distractions. Edward was very pleased I had taken on the conditioning program for his Soccer team and he'd frequently give me advice and pointers. I found I was looking forward to my daily work outs with the kids almost as much as my nightly computer sessions with my husband. Diane had been right, the endorphins or whatever did make me feel better. And honestly, I was a little proud of the turnout I was getting. The first afternoon, I had ten boys show up but each night after that, I'd get a few more and a few more until there were about twenty-five soccer prospects every day eager to work out and play. Edward never had so many show up when he was running them.

"I think your Soccer program has developed quite a reputation, Edward."

"Why's that?"

"So many kids are eager to play this year. I had twenty-six boys show up today."

Edward grimaced. "I don't think it's the program, I think it's the trainer."

"Me? Why do you say that?"

"What do you wear to these workouts, Bella?"

"Just athletic shorts and a tank. It's hot out there."

"And you don't wonder why all those boys are showing up?"

"What does what I wear have anything to do with it?"

"So says the woman with the most killer legs in Florida. I miss them." He gazed longingly at me.

I know I was blushing. You'd think I wouldn't do that any longer being married to him as long as I had. "I'll wear longer shorts in the future."

"You don't have to do that just show me what you've been showing those pervy boys these past couple of weeks."

I'd just gotten a load out of the dryer and my work out clothes were sitting right there waiting for me to fold them. "Well, okay. Just a sec." I moved out of the range of the camera and started to remove the dress I was wearing.

I heard a strangled cough. "Can I watch you change?"

I swallowed. This was going in a direction that was sure to lead to a frustrated cooch-ache for sure. I popped back on camera. "You sure you want to watch this, Edward?"

"Yes." His voice was gravely and growly. It'd been a long time since we last made love.

"Okay…" I stood in front of the computer and turned my back, pulled my hair to the side and then reached up and slid the zipper down the back of my dress. I looked over my shoulder and watched his expression as I slid my arms from the sleeves and let my dress drop in a heap at my feet. I turned around and let him see me standing there in my bra and panties and was struck to the heart at the look of wanton desire on my husband's face. I knew from where I was standing he could see me from about my hips up, so I quickly put on the tank top and slipped on my shorts.

"Let me step back so you can see the whole effect." I took about three steps back and asked, "Can you see me now?"

"Pull the camera down a little." I made the adjustment, stepped back and heard a low groan.

"Oh, Bella. I can tell you exactly why those boys are showing up at practice. You're fucking gorgeous." I could see his Adam's apple bob when he swallowed. I saw him move his hand.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Taking your picture."

"Yeah? What are you going to do with it?"

"I think I'll blow the damn thing up and have it laminated." He groaned.

"Maybe you could use it as a recruitment poster for the team, eh?" I chuckled at his expression as he laughed.

"Not sure how Principal Banner would take that. There's probably a rule against sexy teachers advertising for a team. Now, you gorgeous woman, I think I'd better go take a shower. I've got about three or four hours of work left to do tonight and if I stayed on here and did what I'd rather do, I know I'll never get it done."

We signed off and I was surprised to find I was grinning. No matter how much bigger I had gotten, Edward still seemed to like how I looked. He was good for my self-esteem, that's for sure.

Edward's birthday was the coming Saturday and he'd still be up in Orlando but I wasn't letting that stop me. I had decided to overnight half of his favorite meal to him and we'd celebrate with the other half at home with him on Skype. So, I prepared the lasagna, froze it, then made a salad, garlic bread, and a chocolate cake. I overnighted half of it to him in Orlando. The boys and I made homemade decorations and we picked out a half a dozen little gifts for him to open at certain times during the day with the biggest gift to be opened at dinner. I had it all planned out.

The Friday before his birthday, I made my way to the soccer pitch after dropping off Anthony and Charles at Diane's. I'd packed a few more bottles of milk because the last time I dropped Chuckie off, he had drunk all the bottles Diane had. I felt it was a good idea for her to have a few extras on hand, just in case. That little guy had quite an appetite at times.

But when I got to the field, I was wondering where all the guys were. Usually, the parking lot had half a dozen cars in it by this time. Dropping the kids off at Diane's put me behind a little. I looked at my phone to check the time, thinking that perhaps I'd misread the clock but I hadn't. I walked through the gate and was baffled. There was no one here. The stadium was completely empty. What happened?

I tried calling Ben Mallory, one of the co-captains of the team, but he didn't pick up. I left a message hoping he'd call me back and let me know if I had missed something, like the Mayan cataclysm or something. Well, I'd give them a few more minutes and so I decided to run a few laps to warm up. As I got to the end of the first lap, something, or rather, someone sitting in the stands caught my eye. That time of the day, the sun was directly behind the person and I couldn't see but there was something really familiar about him.

My heart started to pound. I wouldn't let myself hope it to be who I thought it could be. My steps faltered as he stood and I knew.

"EDWARD!" I started hauling ass towards the stands but suddenly my feet wouldn't cooperate with my brain and I stumbled, not exactly falling but stutter stepping and flailing as I fought to keep my feet. Yes, Edward you married a clutz.

I lurched as I strove not fall, thinking this was the least romantic reunion in history and if I did a really good job, Edward would end up taking me to the Emergency Room instead of to bed.

But just like nine years ago, his arms wrapped around me and I was safe. I was in my own version of paradise. I was clutched to Edward's chest and I could feel him shake as he chuckled.

"Bella, you've got to stop falling for me like this. You're gonna hurt yourself one day."

* * *

I couldn't even respond to Edward's teasing, I was so overjoyed to see him, to feel him, to taste him. The easiest way to taste him was to kiss him, so kiss him I did, and WOW. It was a good thing there was no one in the stadium besides us because our kiss soon became practically x-rated.

Edward pulled away first and in a low, rough voice said, "Let's go home."

"But…soccer conditioning?" For a moment I had forgotten about the twenty-five boys were supposed to show up to work out that afternoon.

"Cancelled." He was squeezing my ass as though testing how ripe it was, sort of like an orange.

"How?" My hands were all over him and part of my brain was already in bed with him but that old responsible part took precedence, as always.

"Diane and I conspired. Tonight, it's just you and me, Bella." He pulled my hips tightly against his and I could feel Edward, Jr. wasn't so Jr. at the moment. Evidently, he had the same idea as I did.

"Then, let's get out of here."

We couldn't bear to be apart on the short drive home, so I left our SUV in the lot and Edward drove us in his car. We'd figure a way to get my car later.

"How come you're home, baby?" I fiddled with his fingers as he drove. I could hardly believe he was here. I wasn't quite sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Our professor took pity on us and said if we had our papers ready to turn in this morning he'd give us the final early. You'd better believe I worked my ass off to get that paper done so I could take advantage of his offer. I was really lucky. Usually, I spend my weekends reading for next week and when I looked at the pre-reading, I discovered I'd already read two of the books. As a matter of fact, I needed to come home to get them and the notes I took. At least that's my excuse. I figured that I could read the third book while I'm home. It's all good."

He turned and unapologetically looked me up and down and said, "And this evening, My Mrs. Meteor,—this evening it's just you and me. Diane agreed to keep the boys for as long as we wanted, even if it was overnight."

"Overnight?"

Edward had a wicked gleam in his eye. "Yep."

"Wow." I was completely astonished. I was dreaming. I had to be.

"Yep." He said again as he pulled into our driveway and pressed the remote for the garage door.

A minute later he had swept me off my feet and had carried me into our bedroom. "As good as you look in your workout gear, I think it's a little more clothing than I want on you right now. Let's get them off."

I nodded dumbly as Edward lifted the bottom of my tank top and pulled it over my head. The rest of my clothes quickly followed and he kissed, sucked, and licked whatever skin he could reach as he peeled them off of me. I wasn't complaining.  
To be honest, I was doing the same to him. He tasted a little salty and a lot Edward as he'd just spent four hours in a car on a hot summer's day driving home, air conditioning or not. He tasted better than peanut butter pie, though. Make that better than peanut butter pie topped with chocolate sauce.

I wanted to eat him up and I almost did.

"Bella, stop. I don't want to go too quickly. I want to feel you." He gently pushed my head away and I was disappointed but not for long. I loved knowing that I could make him swoon with just my lips and tongue but now he was going to make me swoon instead.

Soon, I was flat on my back with my legs slung over his shoulders and he was literally pounding away.

And. I. Was. Flying.

It was as though he couldn't get enough of me. He was consumed by me just as I was consumed by him. I dug my hands into the bed linens and gripped them tightly in my fists. Nirvanah approached.

"I can't last." He grunted out the words.

"Go," I said. "I'm right there."

"Unh. Oh, Bell…." He made a few spasmodic jerks with his hips, completely out of control and then shouted as he climaxed which was more than enough for me to follow.

Afterwards, we lay in each other's arms relishing how amazing it always was for us. I loved him with every atom of my being.

My life was good.

Before I could get completely lost in that feeling however, I sat up and said, "Shit!"

Startled, Edward said, "What's wrong?"

Looking down at him, I gasped. "Oh no! I have a lasagna dinner, complete with chocolate birthday cake being Fed Exed to you as a surprise. It's going to be a ruined mess when you get back to school."

He pulled me back down into his arms. "Don't worry, Bella. Diane told me about it. Tanya's going to look out for it for me."

* * *

You know how it sounds when someone runs their fingernails across a chalkboard? Or, when that new high-tech fire alarm goes off that allows people to "feel" the claxon? Or, how Ashley Simpson sounded before auto-tune? Well, that's exactly what hearing Tanya's name from my husband's lips did to me.

"Taaaanyaaa?" I sort of screeched.

I will let you imagine the expression on my face.

Edward knew from the first syllable out of my mouth that he was in deep, dark, stinky shit. Actually, the look of fear on his face at that moment was sort of endearing except I wasn't in any mood to appreciate it.

He sat up and managed to stutter out, "Sh-she's staying across the hall from me. She was the only one I knew who was going to be on campus this weekend. All she's going to do is to keep it in the fridge for me. I'll get it when I get back."

"Well…" I huffed. "I'd no idea that you two were hanging around together."

"We aren't—any more than I can help, anyway. She's in the same classes with me and about twenty other people and she lives on the same hall as we all do." He flopped back on the pillows and stared at the ceiling. I suddenly realized I was 'harshing his mellow,' as my step-father would say. This wouldn't do. I knew better. Edward loved me and wouldn't dream of being unfaithful.

I curled up onto his chest and ran my fingers through the sparse hair that grew there. "I just don't like her."

"I don't like her much either. She's completely self-involved to the point no one wants to work with her. I didn't notice it so much when she was at Parma but, geesh, it's obvious now."

Boy did I love hearing the disgust in his voice. "Hmmm. I guess she still looks the same."

"Not really."

I smiled. Heh heh. The old bag. I bet she's gotten fat. "Oh? I guess she's a victim of time like we all are." My husband, God love him, was completely clueless as to why I was asking. I wanted details of her deterioration. I felt a little guilty but not enough to stop. Edward, my sweet, sweet man, thought I was above such pettiness. Little did he know.

"Actually no, she doesn't look old. She looks different though. She's got different hair and she's bigger in places."

"Fat?" I asked hopefully.

"No, I wouldn't say that. She's not overweight but I never remember her lips being so puffy or her top taking up so much room on her chest."

Why the hell was he looking at her lips and boobs? "She's still pretty, then?"

"I don't know."

"Really, Edward." I got up on one elbow and looked down at him. "Someone's either pretty or not. I don't know isn't an answer."

He pulled me closer, his hand cupping my bare ass, and said, "Honestly, Bella, you're the only one I think about that way. I'm always looking for you or missing you. Other women are just people to me. So, while I can see that Tanya's different, she doesn't interest me. At all."

Okay. He wins.

Or, I do.

I rewarded that bit of sweetness with a kiss which soon led to a grope which led to…well, you know.

We managed to pry ourselves out of bed an hour or so later to get cleaned up. In order not to waste water, we decided to share our shower which led to another kiss, and then another grope and then, well…you certainly do know by now.  
Needless to say, we defeated the purpose of trying to save water by showering together.

Afterwards and happy, grinning, sexually satiated but hungrier than bears, we got dressed and decided to get carry out for dinner but first, even though Diane offered to keep the boys, Edward wanted to pick them up. I wasn't the only one he missed and, actually, I sort of missed the little buggers, myself. So, I called Diane up and explained we were coming to get Anthony and Charles.

"You sure honey? I know you've been missing Edward terribly," Diane said.

"Don't worry Diane, we've already had private time. Now, we want family time."

My friend laughed. "Well get over here, we're just playing in the back yard. Come around when you arrive."

We first had to go get my car as it had the baby seats in it and then made the short journey to pick up the boys. Edward and I walked hand in hand around the side of the Masen's house and peeked in the back to see what our boys were up to.

Diane and her husband had out a bubble maker to the delight of our two guys. The little ones were squealing with pleasure as they chased the bubbles around the back yard. I laughed when I saw Chuckie trying to catch a bubble on his tongue but when he was finally successful, the yuck face he made was hilarious. I guess it was his first lesson in that all that looks good doesn't necessarily taste good.

Edward and I stood there grinning like fools until Anthony happened to glance in our direction and shouted, "Mommy!" and started running for me.

About two steps in to his gallop, he noticed Edward, who at first whad been partially hidden by a trellis. He stumbled to a stop, stared with wide eyes, and said in a broken little boy voice, "Daddy?"

Then he hollered, "DADDY!" and ran, hell for leather, for Edward.

Edward squatted down to scoop him up as Anthony jumped into his arms and wrapped his legs around his waist and clung to him like a spider monkey. After hugging Edward tightly, he pulled back and looked at his father adoringly. Then, his little face scrunched up as he grabbed Edwards's cheeks, and cried, "Where ya been, daddy? You been gone sooo long!" and then our poor little guy burst into tears.

* * *

We had a wonderful weekend, perfect in every way.

After taking the boys to Giuseppe's for pizza—we'd nixed the carry out; we were too hungry to wait—we went home and Edward supervised bath time and read Anthony a story, Goodnight Moon, as I nursed Chuckie to sleep.

We were fortunate in our youngest. Once he was out for the night, he was such a sound sleeper that he hardly turned over until morning. Anthony was another story. That boy slept lightly and could resist sleep as well as a pot of Seven-Eleven's midnight coffee pot. Goodnight Moon led to the Pokey Puppy, to There's a Duck in my Closet, to The Runaway Bunny, to One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and our little guy didn't even crack a yawn.

"Hey Bella, could you bring me my computer bag?" Edward asked. I had long since tucked Charles in and he was snoring away in his crib. Because of the difference in their sleeping habits, we learned early the two boys couldn't share a nursery. It was bad enough that Anthony interfered with our sleep, disturbing baby Charles' sleep was a recipe for an epidemic of Cullen Family crankiness—definitely not a pretty thing. Fortunately, we had the space for it.

I found Edward's computer bag and walked into Anthony's room to find him still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed sitting next to Edward in bed. Edward reached inside the bag and got out one of his school textbooks.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I guarantee this will work. It'll be like anesthesia for Anthony, won't it guy?" he asked the wide awake little boy.

Anthony smiled at his dad and said, "Nope." I was pleased to note my child did not pop his p. We are raising him well.

"We'll see, partner. You can help me study. I'm going to read to you about the scintillating world of school administration. Here we go." Edward opened up his book and cleared his throat.

"Educational Leadership, Part One, Leadership Epistemology: When You Understand, You Know What To Do. Chapter One…"  
I left them to it. Even though I was a teacher myself, that title definitely sounded like a yawner to me. I straightened up the house and took care of some laundry. A half hour later, I peeked into Anthony's room and saw both Edward and our son were sound asleep. Evidently, the Epistemology of Leadership put Edward out, too. I put my hand on my husband's shoulder and leaned down to whisper in his ear, "Anthony's asleep, Edward. Come on. Let's go to bed."

I can't tell you how good it was to drift off to sleep once again in my husband's arms. This being apart crap was for the birds. I have no idea how Rosalie managed when Emmett was in the service. I'll tell you right now. I have a great respect for service men and their families, God Bless them. What they sacrifice for all us civilian goobers—it's humbling. I'll have to say an extra prayer on their behalf on Sunday.

But recognizing that didn't change the fact that it was going to be hell on everyone when Edward had to go back to Orlando on Sunday, especially our sons. It had broken my heart to see Anthony burst into tears this evening when he reunited with his daddy. The tears in Edward's eyes didn't escape my notice, either.

Being apart hurt us all.

The next day was Edward's thirty-third birthday. We started our day at the beach. Anthony was delighted to show his daddy how well he could swim. The boys and I had been spending a lot of time at the YMCA and the little guy was earning his Whale swimming patches two weeks at a time. He was doing quite well. He could now expertly hold his breath, duck his head under the water, kick, and use big arms with the best of them. He still paused and dog paddled while he gasped for air but I was sure rotary breathing would come, eventually. The look of pride on his father's face was enough to make my day as well as Anthony's.

I sat there on the beach, digging in the sand with Charles, and staring at my beautiful man as he held a beaming Anthony in the waves. I was filled to overflowing with happiness. God had blessed me more than I ever deserved. Edward was a wonderful husband and father.

Simply, he was a wonderful person. I wish I could be half the person he was. Here I was regretting that I didn't have the body I once did and thought less of myself because of it and, really? Would I give up a minute of what happened to me since I met Edward? Not even a second. In fact my shape now reflected the fact that I was a well loved wife and mother and my men knew I was beautiful.

I had been getting jealous over a phantom ex-girlfriend when in reality Edward couldn't stand her. He didn't even notice whether she was pretty or not because all he saw was her character. Edward picks me every time, extra curves and all, because he sees the person I am and loves me for it. He picked me for forever eight years ago.

And I picked him.

I was getting teary as realized this and watched him play with our oldest son in the surf. I began to feel ashamed of my petty suspicion and jealousy. I actually found I was beginning to feel sorry for Tanya. I doubt she could ever have the kind of relationship that Edward and I did. Unless she changed a lot, it was unlikely she'd really want someone to consider her character. Perhaps that's why she got what I assumed to be a boob job and collagen injections. They were distractions to hide the real Tanya. Unconsciously she was saying, "Pay attention to these because I don't want you to look too closely at the person that I really am."

Edward and Anthony ran up to Chuckie and me. I stood up and wrapped my arms about my husband's neck and kissed him as passionately as I could. After a surprised second, he responded me with equal fervor. In the background I heard Anthony laughing. "Mommy and Daddy are kissing, Chuckie!"

When we broke apart, gasping for breath, Edward asked, "What was that for?"

"Edward, sometimes words aren't good enough to describe how I feel about you. I don't even think the most passionate kiss could. I'm truly thankful that I'm your wife. I love you beyond measure."

He sighed and looked tenderly into my eyes with his arms gently draped around me pulling me close, curves and all. "The feeling's definitely mutual, my Mrs. Meteor."

* * *

In the middle of the night, I woke up with a brilliant idea. I jumped out of bed (actually, I slid out of bed quietly so I wouldn't wake up Edward) and nosed around on line until I found what I wanted. All of Edward's textbooks had an electronic version! We could upload them all to our Kindle which had a text to voice application and Edward could listen to his text books as he drove. This meant he could come home on the weekends; at least that's what I thought it meant. I was hoping my husband would agree.

I couldn't wait to tell Edward, so I climbed back into bed and stared at him, intensely.

He woke up after about a minute and a half.

I have powers, you see.

After he actually woke up, complained about the hour (it was three thirty in the morning), he was as excited as I was.

"I already had decided to come home every weekend from now on. It's too hard on the boys for me to be away for longer than that. It's hard for me, as well. I don't sleep well without you."

"I was thinking the same thing. Besides, we weren't made to be apart."

"No, we weren't."

I cuddled up to him and sighed. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close so that I could pillow my head on his shoulder.

"This is the best part of the day; cuddled up together in our bed. It's blissful."

"You like this better than sex?" My husband didn't usually have a one track mind, or at least he didn't talk about it if he did.

"In some ways but I've noticed that if we start out like this, it always ends up with the other."

"Yeah. You're insatiable." Edward chuckled.

"I'm insatiable! Well if that isn't the pot that's calling the kettle black!"

"Hello kettle."

"Hi there, pot." I giggled.

"So, is that all you woke me up about?"

"Yeah. Middle of the night brain storm."

"Those are usually the best."

"Yep."

"So…about 'the other' thing that cuddling leads to…" He pushed his hips into my thigh and I could tell that all of him was now awake. I stroked him, reveling in how quickly he grew.

"I think it's already led," I said.

I lifted my face for him to kiss and soon, he was rolling me onto my back, my hands were in his hair, and my legs were wrapped around him. His tongue traced the inside edge of my lips as he filled me, sending sparks flying everywhere throughout my body. He was slow and smooth and electric, pushing my ass up against his thrusts until I clung to him and begged for mercy. He lifted up on me then, so that the pressure was right there, and just a few seconds later it was enough.

"Oh, unh…" I wasn't whispering.

Edward moaned right along with me as he found his own Fourth of July. Boneless, he collapsed on top of me and I luxuriated in feeling his heaviness, the solid goodness of him, of his love for me.

Out of nowhere a little voice asked, "Mommy, do you have an ouchie?"

My eyes popped open to see Edward's eyes bugged out as his head rested on the pillow next to mine. Fortunately, the sheet was covering us.

"Oh, Anthony. No, no ouchie. I'm fine," I managed to say.

Our little boy stood in our bedroom doorway, puzzledly looking at us. "Did you and daddy forget to put your pajamas on?"  
Geesh. By this time Edward had rolled off of me and reached down to the floor and grabbed his boxers and my night gown. Handing my gown to me and scrambling into his boxers, he said to our son, "No, we didn't forget our pajamas. What are you doing out of bed, little man?"

"I heard momma cry and I was worried."

I had slipped my gown over my head by now. "I wasn't crying, honey. Daddy made me laugh. I guess it sounded like I was crying."

"Oh. Okay. Can I sleep with you?" He was rubbing his eyes.

"Sure, sweetie. Climb in." I lifted the covers and he cuddled up next to me. I wrapped my arms around him and Edward wrapped his arms around the both of us.

Anthony was drowsy but he still asked, "Was it a funny joke?"

"A joke?" I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"When you laughed. Was it a funny joke?"

I chuckled. "Yeah, it was very funny."

"Was it a knock-knock joke?" he persisted.

Edward spoke up, "Yes, that's exactly what it was."

We found out later Edward was right, except it actually was a knock-up joke.

Eleanor Marie Cullen was born the following spring just in time to see her daddy wear his doctoral robes and receive the diploma that goes along with it. He was also appointed to be the Assistant Principal of Parma High in charge of Discipline and Attendance for the following year and with his increase in salary, we decided I could stay home with our children for a few years. Poncho wasn't too sure he liked having us around all the time but then, that dog didn't like anything except meal time.

So, life in Parma was good for us and I got over myself and the fact that wisdom and life experience changed me for the better, I finally believed.

I even gave Tanya a card at graduation. In turn, she took a couple of pictures of the three children and me standing with Edward in his robes. In one, Edward was looking down at me and it was plain, even for me to see, how much he loved me.  
When she handed back my camera, I was half expecting her to congratulate me on nabbing such a prize as Edward, but instead she said, "Edward's a lucky man, Bella."

"Lucky?" She surprised me.

"Yeah. He's got what I always wanted and he found it in you. Maybe one day I can find it too." She seemed a little wistful.

I smiled at her, for the first time seeing beyond her ginormous boobs, her too perfect features, and her skinny waist and saw the sad, insecure look in her eye.

I put my hand on her arm and said, "I'll give you the same advice my mother gave me just before I moved to Parma all those years ago. Hold out for amazing, it's out there waiting for you."

Smiling, I turned and slipped my hand into the crook of Edward's arm and said, "Shall we go home, Dr. Cullen?"

"Sounds perfect to me, Mrs. Meteor."

And so we left, imperfect perfections all to go back to our little but amazing home.

The End


End file.
